Performing in Another Region -- The Relaunch
by NewLooneyTune
Summary: Serena's Kalos Journey has come to an end, but when one journey closes, another one begins. Taking place after the episode "Till We Compete Again," Serena embarks on a new journey in the Hoenn region to compete in Pokemon Contests as a coordinator to grow more as a trainer and future Kalos Queen. What kinds of excitement, adventure, and Pokemon does Hoenn have in store for Serena?
1. Chapter 1: Landing a New Journey

Performing in Hoenn

_**Serena's Kalos Journey has come to an end, but when one journey closes, another one begins. Taken place after the episode "Til We Compete Again," Serena embarks on a new journey in the Hoenn region to compete in Pokémon Contests as a coordinator to grow more as a trainer and future Kalos Queen. What kinds of excitement, adventure, and Pokémon does Hoenn have in store for Serena?**_

Chapter 1: Landing a New Journey

Namaiki laced the straps of her chestnut-colored boots. Standing in front of her mirror, she examined herself from head to toe. Namaiki took the yellow ribbon sitting on top of her dresser to tie her pink hair into one ponytail. Looking herself in the mirror again, Namaiki wondered was the ribbon a bit much. "Maybe it'll be a lot better if I lose the ribbon," Namaiki said to herself, turning to her Pokémon partners. "What do you guys think? Ribbon or no ribbon?"

Plusle was the first to share his thought. He voted that Namaiki looked good with the ribbon on, but Minun thought the ribbon was unnecessary. The two started going back and forth, debating on trying to persuade their trainer to ignore the other. Before Namaiki could answer for herself, she froze in fear when her bedroom door opened, followed by a familiar voice. "Namaiki? Oh, you haven't left yet after all. And here I thought it was too quiet."

"Mom! Shouldn't you at least knock before entering?" Namaiki shrieked.

"Only to doors I don't own." Debra's Beautifly flew inside Namaiki's room and landed on top of her head. "It's not even two hours after you ate breakfast and you're already dressed?"

"Uh-Huh. Well? What do you think?" Namaiki turned around to face her mother, so she could see for herself, hoping for an approval rating. Besides the high-top boots, the daughter was wearing blue denim jeans and a sleeveless black shirt that exposed her midriff. "Do you think I should keep the ribbon or lose it?"

"My question is did you lose that love sleeve shirt?" Delia asked her daughter. During the conversation between mother and daughter, Plusle and Minun were in the middle of a tug-of-war battle. They were holding either end of a piece of thin fabric. "Wait a second. Namaiki, don't tell me you cut the sleeves off?"

Plusle purposely let go of his end, resulting in Minun to stumble backwards. Minun fell off the edge of the bed and onto the floor. His back ended up breaking his fall. "What? I just made some minor changes to my outfit," Namaiki confirmed, throwing some other pieces of fabric into her trash can. She spun herself around an entire 360 in front of her mother. Standing in place, her right hand went through her hair and her left hand was placed on her waist. She shot a wink of confidence while standing on her right foot. "Well, what do you think? Looks better this way, right?"

"Minor changes? Honey, your belly button is out."

"I call it improving."

Debra signed in defeat. "Please don't make your father see this. I do not want to argue with him again." Namaiki noticed Debra's demeanor changed the moment she brought her father into the conversation. The daughter looked into her mother's eyes and saw her eyelids batted down so close to the point of making direct contact with her pupils. Water was also starting to develop as well. And unfortunately, Namaiki was familiar with this kind of dilemma from her mother.

"Mom? Is something wrong?" She asked her mother, but Debra didn't answer her pink-headed daughter right away. "Did you and Dad have another argument?" Namaiki assumed. But Debra shook her head in denial. "Don't worry about your father and me. It's just…I can't my baby girl is all grown up now. I guess I'm more concern if you'll get lonely."

Namaiki knew Debra was lying. Her mother could deny all she wanted, but Namaiki already knew the answer. But this was the daughter's big day, so she would let it slide for the moment. Whatever problems her parents are facing, they would just have to work it out themselves. "Mom, I'm not a baby anymore. There are some things I can handle on my own without your help." Namaiki said. "And I'll never be alone. I will always have Plusle and Minun right by my side." Speaking of Plusle and Minun, the two crawled on top of either one of her shoulders. The Cheering duo smiled at their trainer's mother to confirm their roles as Namaiki's partners.

The mother nodded in agreement. "Did you pack everything you need for your journey?"

"Yep," Namaiki answered, dragging out a large suitcase from her closet. It was just as pink as her long hair. "Packed up everything I'll need last night."

"A suitcase? Honey, you're starting a Pokémon journey, not moving again. You can't carry that suitcase around with you."

"Sure, I can. I'll be sleeping in Pokémon Centers through Hoenn anyway. I have to look my best wherever I go. And besides, a good Pokémon Coordinator has to prepared to look their best in front of the camera."

Debra slapped her face in a mixture of disbelief, annoyance, and obviousness. "I figured you would do something like this. Which is why I packed you this." The mother handed Namaiki a lavender backpack with two black straps.

"That's it?" Namaiki questioned. "What am I supposed to fit in there?"

"Simple. A few changing clothes, your pajamas, a tent, and a sleeping bag," Debra replied. "Everything a rookie trainer need for her first journey, Namaiki. This is how I started off, so you will do the same. And a good Pokémon Coordinator must realize their Pokémon is the main attraction in contests." Namaiki sighed, taking the bag from the older female's hand and packed it with a few clothes and her pajamas. No use arguing with her mother because she was at a disadvantage in this battle.

Namaiki lifted the backpack and noticed something was dangling from underneath. "Mom, what is this?"

"A sleeping bag compartment. And I took the liberty of packing you a tent for two. Sometimes as a Pokémon Trainer, you'll have to sleep outside."

Namaiki was all packed up – the right way – and was ready to head out the door. One last thing before she departed, she collected Plusle and Minun's Poke balls. Namaiki shrunk both of them and packed them in her possession. Debra walked Namaiki to the front door and hugged her daughter one last time before sending her off. To begin the first chapter in her life as a Pokémon Trainer and the future Top Coordinator. Plusle and Minun joined in followed by the former's Beautifly with its wings wrapped around their heads. "Take care of yourself, sweetie. And keep in touch. I want to know how my only child is doing every now and again."

"I will," Namaiki replied, with a pout suddenly appearing on her face. "I was hoping my dad would be here to send me off, too."

"Don't give your father any mind. I'm sure he's just as proud as I am," Debra responded, although Namaiki found it hard to believe after everything that occurred to the mother and daughter. "Plusle, Minun, watch over my daughter for me and keep her out of trouble."

The duo nodded their heads in understanding. "Plus." "Min." Although Namaiki scuffed and looked away. It was more like she has to watch over them knowing how troublesome the two can be at times. Beautifly landed on her head again, wanting to say its goodbyes. "I'll miss you too, Beauti," Namaiki stated. "Keep an eye on my mother for me."

"Beautifly."

"Well, we better get going now. See you."

"Bye, sweetie." Debra stood on her front porch, with her Beautifly on her head while the duo witnessed Namaiki running out of their neighborhood. Plusle and Minun hold onto their trainer's shoulders with one palm while waving goodbye at her parent with the other. There he goes, off on her first journey. "Don't forget to call when you arrived in Littleroot Town," Debra screamed.

"I will."

* * *

"We have witnessed amazing coordinators throughout this contest, but only two have surpassed the rest," Vivian Meridian said over her gray microphone. "And now I would like to present our two finalists. Our first finalist is from LaRousse City and a favorite to win, it's Drew." Meridian pointed at a mid-sized boy with green eyes and green hair who was standing on one end of the battlefield. Drew was wearing a black long-sleeved shirt under an opened purple jacket, a pair of teal trousers, and black shoes. The audience cheered with delight, but most of the excitement was coming from Drew's many fangirls.

"Our next finalist comes from Petalburg City. Nicknamed as the Princess of Hoenn, we have May." Meridian then pointed to the last finalist on the other side of the field. Another round of applause was sent out to the girl with long brown hair. Standing across from her opponent, May's appearance included a black shirt underneath a scarlet tank top, white shorts with black mini-leggings, and a pair of yellow and black ankle boots. Her hair was secured by a red and white handkerchief. "These two Pokémon Coordinators bring plenty of potential into becoming the next Top Coordinator in Hoenn…," Meridian continued. "…but only one of them will win the Slateport City contest ribbon and be one step closer for the Grand Festival."

"Beautifly, on stage," May called out as she threw a poke ball out on the field. A butterfly-like Pokémon appeared while showering a glittering shine around its multicolor wings.

"May's Beautifly reminds me of Viola's Vivillon," Serena commanded.

"Go, Roserade," Drew screamed, throwing his Poke ball out on the field. A small, light green Pokémon was materialized from its poke ball. Surrounding its appearance by a small trait of pink rose petals, the bipedal Pokémon's hair was made of white rose pedals. Roserade was wearing a leafy, green cape with a yellow, collar-lie bangle on its neck. The lower portion of its face is light green while the top half was dark green over its red and yellow eyes, almost resembling a masquerade mask. Roserade was also holding a bouquet in each hand; a red bouquet in the right hand and a blue bouquet in the left. "Wow!" Serena commented. "Both Pokémon are so beautiful. Don't you agree, Braixen?"

Braixen agreed with Serena while the two partners were watching the match. A timer appeared on screen to show both the trainers' faces, their Pokémon, and a timer that showed five minutes. "With five minutes on the clock, let the battle begin," Meridian announced.

"Beautifly, Silver Wind," May commanded. Beautifly's wings glowed white as they began to flap, creating wind with silver crescents in it were released at the Roserade.

"Now, Roserade, use Magical Leaf," Drew commanded. His Roserade released glowing light green leaves from its flower hands and aimed it at the Beautifly. Both attacks met halfway and collided with one another. The Silver Wind mixed the Magical Leaf around into orb of crescents and green leaves before the attacks exploded.

"Wonderful. Roserade's Magical Leaf and Beautifly's Silver Wind canceled each other out in a spectacular fashion."

The screen showed the scoreboard again. "Huh?" Serena noticed May was deducted by some points. "What happened? I didn't see Beautifly get hit."

Speaking of Beautifly, May ordered it to use Tackle. As the Beautifly headed straight for Roserade, Drew ordered a Petal Dance. Roserade spun around in place quickly as pink petals were released. The pink petals formed around Beautifly, but Roserade continued releasing more pink petals until it was convinced Beautifly was wrapped around its Petal Dance. Not only was Beautifly's Tackle was canceled, but the Butterfly Pokémon was unable to see anything. Beautifly was surrounded by a room of pink petals. Going back into the scoreboard, May started to lose points again. "Excellent work, Roserade. Now, Solar Beam," Drew said out loud.

Roserade held its arms above its head and the flowers on the end of its arms started to glow. "We're not finished yet. Beautifly, Morning Sun," May called for a counterattack.

Roserade had already finished forming its Solar Beam. The Grass-type Pokémon fired the golden orb of energy toward Beautifly. The Solar Beam exploded only for Beautifly to appear unhurt and its entire body glowing white.

"Amazing," Vivian voiced over her microphone. "Beautifly used Roserade's Solar Beam for its own Morning Sun and survived being hit."

The camera switched back to the scoreboard only this time Drew was deducted points. Serena predicted Drew lost points because his attack failed to make his mark. But before either one of the coordinators could declare another attack, the screen went black. "Huh? What happened?" Serena tried to turn the television back on by pressing the power button multiple times, but each attempt was in vain. She noticed some of the passengers on board were standing. A selected handful of passengers were walking out of the plane with luggage in hand, some of them were gathering their belongings from the overhead storage, while a few more people waited for everyone to clear the aisle by sitting down. "What's going on?"

"The plane landed a few minutes ago," a middle-aged woman answered Serena's question. "Everyone is leaving." Looking outside of her window, Serena's answer was confirmed. Serena didn't notice that the plane landed and her headrest TV had turned itself off automatically. It was such a shame as well because Serena was really looking forward to seeing who would have won. She could finish watching the battle from inside the airport.

The minute Serena stepped foot off her plane, she noticed a group of Pokémon with dark blue feathers flying above her head. Serena could count up to at least up to ten of them. They almost reminded her of Ash's Fletchling before it evolved. "Taillow! Taillow! Taillow!" they screamed.

"Look, Braixen. We've never seen Pokémon like those back in Kalos."

"Braix," Braixen responded.

Besides the flying-types, there was also one Pokémon with zigzag-patterned fur, another Pokémon with a leaf sticking from the top of its head, and one Pokémon with long, lanky arms and shorter legs. The last Pokémon was resting on a trainer's back with its arms around his shoulder like the kid was wearing it for a book bag. Serena also pointed to an Ampharos standing beside a bearded male figure. For a second there, Serena thought that was Meyer. So, there were Pokémon Serena had seen before. "I wonder what other Pokémon we'll meet," she said out loud.

"Welcome to Mauville City," a female behind the front desk rang over on the intercom. "Thank you for traveling with us and we hope you have an amazing time in the Hoenn region." All the passengers, including Serena and her Braixen, walked inside the airport with all their baggage. Many of them decided to take a seat and count all their luggage. Others walked up to friends and family members who had been waiting for their arrival. Some went straight into the bathroom and a handful of people were getting in contact with people they care about. Speaking of which…

"I should give mom a call…," Serena said to herself. "…let her know I've landed safely in Hoenn."

Standing over a nearby phone, Serena made a call back home. While the signal was still reaching for a connection, Serena released her Pancham and her Sylveon from their poke balls. They stood beside their Fire-type fox Pokémon member as a woman with blue eyes, brown hair, and a Fletchling on her left shoulder appeared on the end. "I see you landed in Hoenn already," Grace called out to her daughter.

"Hi, Mom," Serena responded.

"So, how was your flight? How are you liking Hoenn so far?"

"Geez, Mom. One question at a time," her daughter joked. "I landed safely and I'm loving Hoenn so far. There are so many Pokémon I haven't seen before."

"Where are you exactly?"

"Mauville City. It's got all these big buildings, boutique stores with the cutest clothes and the city have a beach. Mauville City is like every tourist's dream."

Grace chuckled at her daughter's excitement. "That almost sounds like Lumiose City a little bit. Well, it makes me happy you're liking the Hoenn region so far. So, did you find any information about the Pokémon Contests?"

"No, I haven't yet, but I'm heading to the Pokémon Center once I leave the airport. Perhaps Nurse Joy knows something. I'll ask her."

Grace nodded in approval. "Good. Well, I have to go. I have to take care of some errands before the end of the day. Braixen, Pancham, and Sylveon, I'm counting on you three to watch over my daughter for me. Keep her safe and look out for each other."

"Braixen Braix."

"Pancham Pan."

"Eon Sylveon."

"Good luck, dear. I'm expecting big things from my performer. Do your best and remember to always be one with your Pokémon."

"I will. Bye, Mom." After ending her conversation with her mother, Serena returned her team back into their poke balls and walked out of the airport. The city was much huge in person than it was during the flight. A gust of wind blew some of Serena's honey-colored hair over on her face, but she pushed it away using her left hand. As the sun shined down on the girl, it was the start of a new beginning for Serena. A new region filled with new Pokémon and new opportunities. "I wonder what Hoenn has to offer," she thought out loud.

* * *

Serena was getting frustrated. Everywhere she turned her head, another building was in her eyesight. The building she was standing in front of at the moment was blue with seven floors. Wait a minute, Serena ran into that same building for the fifth time. Following by the familiar aroma of food coming from the food court down the street. It was official…Serena was lost. Her head dropped to the ground as a thick sigh of defeat escaped between her teeth. "Now how am I supposed to find the Pokémon Center?" She voiced her frustration.

"Did you say the Pokémon Center?" Serena's head was lifted off the ground and spotted a male figure in a tuxedo carrying a dark brown suitcase.

"Uhh…yeah," she answered. "I just landed and this is my first time being in the Hoenn region, so…"

"Say no more, little lady. I know where the Pokémon Center is located."

That was the first piece of good news Serena heard since she landed. "Really? Thanks. So where is it?"

"Just look to your left."

"To my left?" To her left? Now, Serena was confused. The only thing she saw was yet another building. Unlike the previous structures, this one was yellow and a three-story with a flat steel roof. Right beside it was a large monitor displaying a poke ball in a neon light pinkish-red color before the words Pokémon Center were flashing. What Serena was trying to figure out is she had been passing the area several times now. How did she not notice in the first place? But whatever. At least she found it finally and the best part was that it was close to a food court. She could grab a bite while Nurse Joy took care of her Pokémon. "Thanks so much," she said to the well-dressed stranger who smiled and walked away.

"OUFF!"

What happened just now? Suddenly, Serena opened her eyes and found herself on the ground after an unseen person came running out of the Pokémon Center. When the Kalos native came to, there was a female with long, curly pink hair standing with her right arm sticking out in front of the former. She was dressed in a short, black sleeveless top with her naval exposed, followed by blue denim jeans behind held together by a white bellow with a yellow buckle. "Oh, my goodness," she rang. "I'm terribly sorry. I wasn't paying attention. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Serena responded, taking the girl's hand before the latter pulled the former off the ground. "Just surprised…and shaking. But thanks."

"I'm sorry. Nurse Joy had finished checking out my two Plusle and Minun and we're just in a hurry to make it to the next town before it gets dark. The name is Namaiki by the way."

"Plus."

"Min."

"I'm Serena." So, the two Pokémon on Namaiki's shoulders was Plusle and Minun. There goes two more Pokémon Serena had never seen before. They kind of reminded Serena of a Pichu. Both of them are cream-colored and dot-like noses with Plusle having red markings on its ears and front palms along with plus signs on its red cheeks and having a red plus sign tail. As for Minun, its markings are blue as well as its ears and front palms while its tail is tipped with a blue minus sign. "You both are so cute," she commented.

The cheering duo scratched their heads with their front palms until noticing something on the ground. Suddenly, they jumped off Namaiki's shoulders and onto the ground. The girls were wondering what was wrong until they both found five poke balls inches from their feet. The trainers put two and two together after realizing they were missing some poke balls. Plusle and Minun rolled three poke balls in front of Serena and the other two – their poke balls – in front of Namaiki. "Hey, our poke balls," Serena indicated, picking up her poke balls. "Thanks, you two."

Namaiki grabbed Plusle and Minun's poke balls and stored them in her bookbag. "Yeah. They're both are a handful, but helpful without a doubt. Well, we better get going. Sorry again for running into you."

"Don't worry. How about next time, try not to be in such a hurry."

"How about next time, try not to get run over," Namaiki joked before running off with her small partners were right behind.

_What a weird girl_ Serena thought to herself. At least her Pokémon was safe in her possession and that was all that matters. Serena walked inside the Pokémon Center and she saw Nurse Joy standing behind the counter with a Chancey by her side. She had finished caring for another trainer's Pokémon from the look of it. The medical professional handed a brown-haired trainer some kind of green reptilian-looking Pokémon with yellow eyes and long pupils along with a large, dark green tail that was separated into two lobes. "Treecko," the trainer yelled in excitement.

"I'm happy to say your Treecko is in perfect health," Nurse Joy explained.

"Thanks so much, Nurse Joy. Come on, Treecko. Ready to get back to some training?"

"Treecko."

And there goes another unfamiliar looking Pokémon to add to Serena's list. Now it was the female trainer's turn to have her Pokémon checked. She walked up to the counter where Nurse Joy and her Chansey were waiting for her with a huge smile on both their faces. "Welcome to the Pokémon Center," Nurse Joy welcome the short honey-haired trainer.

"Hi, Nurse Joy. I'm Serena. Will you check my Pokémon for me?" Serena asked although it wasn't necessary for the medical professional. "My team includes a Braixen, Pancham, and a Sylveon."

"A Braixen?"

"Uh-Huh."

"Very rare I checked on a Braixen in the Hoenn region. If I recall, Braixen is the evolve form of Fennekin," Nurse Joy stated. "Which means, you received it from Professor Sycamore from the Kalos region."

"Right. My Pokémon and I came from Kalos to compete Pokémon Contests," Serena took her Poke balls out and placed them in the Poke ball tray.

"Don't worry, Serena. I can assure you that your Pokémon is in excellent hands," Nurse Joy informed.

* * *

"Hey, Cameron. It's me," Namaiki said while talking on the phone. "I'm just leaving Mauville City, so I should be in Littleroot Town within two days. I'm just calling to warn you that I better see you at Professor Birch's research lab by the time of my arrival. After the young girl ended her phone conversation with her friend, Plusle and Minun presented her with six sitrus berries as they both roll three berries each in her direction. She wondered how they were both able to roll those three berries all at once. "Are those for me?" She asked.

To answer her question, Plusle lifted up one of the sitrus berries to Namaiki and placed it inside her hand. "Plus," the plus Pokémon answered.

"How sweet. Thanks, you two."

The duo then stood tall and shoot their trainer the salute sign, earning them a giggle of appreciation from Namaiki. She took out a handkerchief and used it to wipe off any residue on top of the berry. As rambunctious as Plusle and Minun were, Namaiki was grateful to have such loyal partners by her side. It reminded the young girl that the three of them would always and forever be a team.

"Mmmm," Namaiki voiced out while eating the sitrus berries. The Pokémon duo wasted no time and devoured their berries in an instant. "That berry was so sweet and delicious." The young girl picked up another berry and popped it in her mouth. Not even bothered by wiping the dirt off this time. "Say, how about we take some berries with us to Littleroot Town?"

Namaiki moved forward with noticed one of the two sitrus berries remaining. She stepped on top of one of them before stumbling and falling backward until her rear was touching the ground. Plusle and Minun laughed at their trainer. That was some fall she had. Unknown to the trio, a strange-looking Pokémon appeared from its poke ball. Namaiki along with Plusle and Minun spotted a Pokémon with black and white fur wearing a pair of red sunglasses on top of its head and holding a leaf in its mouth standing right beside the trainer. "Huh? Where did you come from?" Namaiki asked.

"Pancham?" Pancham was asking himself the exact same question about the pink-headed girl in front of him. Two follow up questions came at the top of his head: Where was Serena? And how did he get separated from her in the first place? "Pancham Pancham Pan?"

"Plus?"

"Min?"

Pancham ran into the middle of the road, searching his surroundings wondering if Serena was nearby. But Namaiki chased after him. Even though the Pokémon wasn't hers, she still wanted Pancham to stay safe until they could figure out about its trainer's whereabouts. "Hey. Where are you going?" Namaiki screamed, picking the glasses-wearing Pokémon in her arms. "You can't just run off like that. You'll end up getting hurt. Now, what does your trainer look like?"

Suddenly, the ground began to shake vigorously, sending vibrations all over the entire rough. Plusle and Minun ended up falling onto the ground while Namaiki noticed all the wild, ground Pokémon were curious to figure out where was this coming from. Some actually got scared and try to hide. "What's going on?" Namaiki wondered.

The rumbling was also followed by a pair of sirens blazing through the blue skies. Namaiki noticed a dark grey looking four-wheel truck speeding down her way. The tires on that thing were huge, almost compared to a monster truck, which explained the roaring coming from the ground. And by the looks of how fast the truck, the driver had no intention of slowing down. With only a second to think dramatically, Namaiki jumped out of the way and landed on the grass.

The nerve of that guy. If Namaiki had stood there for another second, she would have paved on the ground. "That dick," she screamed in frustration. "He could have run me over."

"Plus."

"Min."

Plusle and Minun voiced out their anger about the truck driver as well. All of a sudden, the sound of sirens tapped on their eardrums like a percussion instrument. Officer Jenny sped through the scene with lights flashing from her motorcycle with some guy with brown hair and a uniform sitting in her sidecar. Namaiki speculated they were both chasing after the guy in the truck. "Hmm. I hope they catch the bastard. Now, back to you…" Namaiki said, talking about Pancham.

She picked up the poke ball this Pokémon came out of. It does look a bit different than Plusle and Minun's. They were her only two Pokémon and they are mainly seen outside. Instantly, Namaiki realized something. "Hang on a minute. This isn't Minun's poke ball?"

"Cham?"

This also caught the attention of both the electric Pokémon. "I must have gotten it switched with your poke ball. But how did…" Namaiki was putting the pieces together. When she bumped into that girl with the short hair, their poke balls must have gotten mixed up when Plusle and Minun were collecting them all. So, to sum this situation up, this Pancham is that Serena girl's Pokémon and in return, Serena must have Minun's poke ball. But just to be certified…

"Pancham, does your trainer go by the name, Serena?" Namaiki asked.

"Pancham Pan," the Pokémon confirmed.

"Littleroot Town will have to wait," Namaiki pronounced out loud. "Let's get you back to your trainer and get Minun's Poke ball back."

* * *

_**And that does it for the first chapter. Looks like Serena is beginning her Hoenn adventure on a high note. The same thing goes to Namaiki, however, the journey is just getting started. What other new Pokémon and surprises await for our favorite Poke girl? What role will Namaiki play in this fanfic? "Performing in Hoenn" is under full swing.**_

_**I want to say Happy New Year and I hope everybody ended last year with new goals in mind for 2020. Stay tuned.**_


	2. Chapter 2: A Mix Up Match Up

Performing in Hoenn

Chapter 2: A Mix Up Match Up

After May's Beautifly used Solar Beam for its Morning Sun to avoid any further damage, Drew suffered major points lost. Beautifly flew down to resume its Tackle after being ordered by its trainer. "Roserade, Bullet Seed and hurry," Drew commanded.

Roserade fired multiple gold seeds surrounded in a light green aura from its flowers at Beautifly. "Beautifly, destroy the Bullet Seeds with your String Shot," May commanded.

Beautifly shot a white string from its mouth and destroyed some of the seeds. Drew was losing points again as Beautifly continued evading the Bullet Seed, but there were so many that it was hard to keep up. Roserade didn't stop the Bullet Seed and it was becoming too much to handle. Eventually, Beautifly was ambushed by the Bullet Seed. May's point count was deducted again at that time.

Watching the Pokémon Contest, Serena was noticing their strategies. It was like both trainers knew what the other person was planning. May commanded Beautifly to use Gust and the Pokémon flapped its wing at a high speed to create a large gust of wind at the Roserade. As Roserade was fighting to remain in place, points were taking away from Drew once again. Beautifly then swooped in for a Tackle. "Roserade, use Solar Beam on the ground," Drew commanded.

Roserade held its arms over its head again. A gold orb of energy was created in front of its flowers, but instead of attacking Beautifly, Roserade launched the attack on the ground. The Grass-type Pokémon was launching a good 30 or 40 feet into the air, completely dodging Beautifly's Tackle. May was deducted points as Serena suspected.

"Time's up," Vivian announced. Three zeros were shown on the timer followed by the sound of a buzzer. "And the winner of the Slateport City is…Drew."

The screen showed the viewers at home the final scoreboard. It was revealed that Drew's point score was slightly larger than May's. From the looks of their Pokémon, Beautifly had the most revealing injuries compared to Roserade. Drew proved to be a strong trainer, but Serena was a little bummed out May lost. Regardless, that was an exciting match Serena just watched. The Kalos trainer looked at that as a preview to what she would expect for the remainder of her Hoenn journey.

Her first order of business was to figure out how to register for the next Pokémon Contest. Nurse Joy came out from the back, announcing to Serena that her Pokémon was examined. "Thanks for waiting, Serena. I'm happy to say that both of your Pokémon are healthy," Nurse Joy said.

"Thank you so much, Nurse Joy." When Serena reached for her Poke balls, she paused after noticing something Nurse Joy said. "Wait, only two Pokémon? But I have three."

"You have three Pokémon? But I only got Braixen and Sylveon from you." Only Braixen and Sylveon? That can't be right because Serena was certain she turned in three Poke balls and every one of them contained a member of her team. If Nurse Joy only did a checkup on Braixen and Sylveon, then that leads one question.

"Where's Pancham?" Serena asked the medical professional. Of course, she brought all three of her Pokémon to Hoenn. In fact, she released them earlier when the female trainer was talking to her mother back at the airport. But Nurse Joy claimed she only checked two of her Pokémon?

"I'm sorry, Serena, but I don't know. Those are the only Pokémon I examined," Nurse Joy protested. "Though I was wondering about this empty poke ball you gave me." Empty Poke ball? Something didn't sound right to Serena. She grabbed all three of the poke balls and threw them in the air, releasing two out of the three Pokémon she possessed.

"Braixen."

"Sylveon."

There were Braixen and Sylveon, leaving Pancham alone. Serena was surprised and confused to find the poke ball turned out to be empty. Nurse Joy was right, but that made the trainer even more worried about her missing Pokémon. A further investigation of the empty poke ball made Serena realized something. "Wait a minute," she screamed. "This isn't Pancham's poke ball."

Braixen and Sylveon came closer to Serena to take a good look at the poke ball themselves. They were also wondering about the whereabouts of their missing teammate like their trainer. In order to find Pancham, Serena must retrace her steps. She remembered calling Pancham out back at the airport during the phone conversation with her mother. After which, she returned him back in his poke ball along with Braixen and Sylveon. She left the airport and headed straight for the Pokémon Center, only to get lost in the process, but eventually managed to found it. Then, before Serena could walk inside, she got side-swiped by that girl with the… "Long pink hair."

"Huh?" Nurse Joy overheard.

"Chansey?"

"The girl with the long pink hair," Serena stated. "I ran into this girl…well, she ran into me…and our poke balls scattered all over the ground. They must have gotten mixed up when her two Pokémon was gathering them."

Suddenly, something just came up in Nurse Joy's head. "A girl with pink hair? Wait, does this girl have a Plusle and Minun?"

"Right. And I think her name is Namaiki?"

"Yeah. She stopped by to get her Pokémon to look at, then she mentioned about heading to Littleroot Town, but she must pass Oldale Town first." That did not sound good. Pancham was with another trainer who was on her way to the next town. For all Serena knew, Namaiki had left Mauville City already. So, the questions are should Serena stayed, hoping Namaiki figured out what happened and return? Or, find Namaiki on her own despite still not familiar with Hoenn? "Nurse Joy, where's Oldale Town?" Serena asked after making her decision.

Nurse Joy took out a map and presented it to Serena, exhibiting all the locations of the entire region. "There are two different routes that separate Mauville City and Oldale Town," the nurse explained. "To arrive in Oldale Town, you must take two different routes. Travel down Route 110, then make a right on the next exit to Route 103. Make sure you turn on the next route, otherwise, you'll wind up Slateport City."

Route 110, then make a cut to Route 103. Serena hoped to find Namaiki before she does beat her to Oldale Town. "Got it," Serena proclaimed. "Let's go find Pancham."

"Braix."

"Eon."

With her remaining two Pokémon by her side, Serena and the remainder of her team took full speed out of the Pokémon Center. The trio was on a mission to make their team whole once again. Suddenly, a news report appeared on the screen as the camera was cut to a shot of an anchorwoman with short, blue hair standing beside Officer Jenny. It looked urgent, so Nurse Joy turned the volume up to hear. "…next to Officer Jenny were not too long ago, issued an emergency lockdown on Mauville City."

"An emergency lockdown?" Nurse Joy questioned.

"Chansey?"

It wasn't every day an emergency lockdown was issued. "Officer Jenny, can you please explain to the viewers at home?" The anchorwoman asked holding the mic up to Officer Jenny's face.

"My cousin from Slateport City and a Pokémon Ranger are on the pursuit of a dangerous Pokémon Hunter," the law enforcer confirmed. "Earlier today, he stole a bunch of Pokémon Eggs from the Slateport City Pokémon Center before fleeing the scene of the crime. Now, he is currently on his way here in Mauville City."

"Can you give us any more information about this guy?"

"His name is Damien Hunter and we have reasons to believe he is linked to a dangerous organization that benefits from stealing Pokémon and selling them to the highest bidder. I don't have all the details about him yet, but I strongly suggested everyone in Mauville City be very cautious." Officer Jenny then exhibited an old mugshot of the perpetrator. Damien Hunter was standing 5'11," bald, and with a low-cut beard. With a placard in hand, Dennis's wardrobe was a typical prison uniform: a dark blue jumpsuit with light gray sweatpants, but the sweats were hardly visible in the mugshot. The biggest trademark about Damien was the huge scar running down on the right side of his face. Beginning from his forehead, running through his right eye before resting on his right cheek. Where he got that scar was beyond anybody's guess.

"Oh, my goodness," Nurse Joy voiced out her concern. It was no everyday event for a city like Mauville City to be issued an emergency lockdown. The medical professional then remembered Serena just walked out to find Namaiki. "Serena, stay safe."

* * *

"All Mauville City citizens are advised to avoid going outside as possible. If you see this man, please do not try to confront him because he is labeled extremely dangerous. Just call Officer Jenny and…" Damien had enough of all that. He furiously closed his laptop almost cracking the screen. Thanks to that news report, the city was on red alert searching for Damien and it was all thanks to that Pokémon Ranger Jackson. Just bringing his name up made the evil ranger felt like a volcano on the verge of erupting. If Damien exploded, all the rage would have engulfed everything and everyone – people and Pokémon – in his path.

Damien exited his truck and left it behind some green three-story building. Mauville City was huge with buildings on every corner. Damien could slip to the next town without leaving a single trace regardless of the lockdown. All he needed now was a disguise.

_**BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!**_

_Oh, great_ Damien thought to himself. Just when things couldn't get any worst. A call from headquarters was the last thing he needed at that moment. Maybe if he ignored the ring, the call would drop. Too bad Bree suspected this from her fellow Team Covetous member ahead of time. "So, you decided to stop answering calls from your own teammates now, Damien?" She blasted.

Damien faced his green-haired team member inside a darker green screen, rolling his eyes in annoyance. She was the last person he wanted to have a conversation with. Bree would call at the wrong time too. "What do you want, Bree," he fired at the lady.

"We need to talk…now."

Damien exchanged his money green vase-like jacket for a dark brown overcoat. "Not the time, Bree," Damien grunted. "I have a situation to handle."

"I know all about your 'situation.' It's all over the news." Damien stood corrected: things could get worst. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"Why are you yelling at me? This is not my fault," He protested, sliding his left arm through his sleeve. "That new 'recruit' Alphonse partnered me with turned out to be a liability. Jackson is an undercover Pokémon Ranger."

"What? And now the public knows everything about Team Covetous," Bree concluded.

In the mix of the conversation between the two bitter Team Covetous members, Alphonse walked over Bree. Not even the diamond chains flaring around his neck gave him away. "No," he responded in a deep voice.

"But sir…"

Before Bree replied, Alphonse stopped her. "Officer Jenny said that Damien is linked to _an_ organization. She didn't mention Team Covetous specifically. Be that as it may, this is your problem, Damien. Handle it." Damien released a huge puff of air from his nose like an angry Tauros. That was about as helpful as a Magikarp on land. "And collect some Pokémon while you're at it," the TC leader added. "That way you can make up for allowing my eggs to get stolen by that ranger." The green screen faded and Damien was left all alone. He finished his disguise by switched out of his brown boots for a pair of blue sneakers. Sitting beside the driver's seat where a large bag filled with the Pokémon eggs he stolen. Since he would have to steal some Pokémon in order to replace the second sack of eggs he lost, Damien reached into the trunk and took a few devices and store them in one of his overcoat pockets.

He spotted the selection of wild Pokémon he captured before his escape including a wild Eevee. Damien and the Eevee made eye contact and the Pokémon stumbled backwards until its tail was touching the cage. Every stray of its fur was sticking up like Eevee was exposed to snow while its brown eyes were pleading the man to let it go. Damien chuckled at how scared the Evolution Pokémon was at the sight of his face. It amused him how terrified he made a helpless Pokémon. Joining Eevee were a Stufful, a Vulpix, a Caterpie, and a Shieldon.

"Don't worry. I'll eventually come back for you," Damien said to the terrified Pokémon. He finished off his disguised by covering his entire truck with a huge cover. Walking out from the corner, Damien noticed a female trainer speeding pass his direction along with three Pokémon behind her. Two of them were Plusle and Minun, Pokémon that Damien had seen before. But for the last one, the hunter had never seen a strange-looking Pokémon like that before. Let alone a Pokémon who wore sunglasses. "That's the same girl I almost ran over with my truck," he said to himself.

She looked like she was in a hurry and Damien wondered where she was going. There was an open window of opportunity: three Pokémon just waiting to get stolen by the professional Pokémon hunter, in which one of them could be a brand-new Pokémon that nobody in Hoenn had ever seen. He reached in both his pockets and pull out two poke balls. Wherever that girl was going, Damien was right behind her…to steal all her Pokémon.

* * *

"What do you mean Serena's gone already?" Namaiki fired at Nurse Joy.

"I'm sorry, Namaiki, but I told Serena you were heading to Oldale Town and she insisted on finding you herself. She left the Pokémon Center just moments before you arrived back." Namaiki turned to find Pancham in a depressing state. She knew it was hard for the panda Pokémon being separated from his trainer. She couldn't process the thought of being separated from Plusle and Minun, but Namaiki would assure to Pancham that they will find Serena.

"Don't worry, little guy. I promise we'll find your trainer. Guarantee." Speaking of Plusle and Minun, they comforted their new friend by patting their little paws on Pancham's shoulders.

"Plus," Plusle comforted.

"Min," Minun agreed. Seeing how they were determined to find Serena, Pancham turned his frown upside down. It was like a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders and his spirit was restored. "I guess we just have to keep looking," Namaiki suggested. "Let's go."

"Be careful! There's a dangerous Pokémon Hunter somewhere in the city."

Unfortunately, Nurse Joy's warning didn't go through. Unaware of the danger ahead of her, Namaiki carried on her search for Serena. "Okay. If Serena is looking for me, then she must be heading for Oldale Town," she suggested. "So, let's start from there and see that…"

A pin missile was aimed at the group all of a sudden, barely missing them by a few feet. Namaiki and the Pokémon started coughing due to the smoke in their lungs. Plus, the smoke was making it difficult to see what was going on. Moments after the sudden attack, the smoke completely disappeared. Namaiki finally opened her eyes and what she spotted first was a male figure with a short cut beard and two Pokémon – a Rhydon and a Beedrill – right beside him.

Namaiki never saw this guy before, but she predicted that pin missile came from Beedrill. "Who the hell are you?" the preteen fired. Namaiki didn't know what was going on, but she was two seconds away from snatching that smirk off his face and turn it upside down.

"Who the hell am I?" The grown man chuckled. "Don't you have a mouth. But to answer your question, the name's Damien Hunter."

* * *

_**That wraps up chapter two. I originally planned to include the battle between Namaiki and Dennis in this chapter, but I decided to include it in the next chapter. Sorry for ending things with a cliffhanger but bear with me. Don't want to spoil too much in one take. Namaiki is about to enter her first-ever Pokémon battle, but who would have guessed it would be against a ruthless Pokémon Hunter? It doesn't sound very good for Namaiki and I wonder where Serena is. I hope she didn't skip town already.**_

_**Well, I hope everyone is enjoying "Performing in Hoenn" so far. Give me your review on what you think about the fanfic and I'll be back with another new chapter. I have only just begun. Stay tuned.**_


	3. Chapter 3: Mayhem in Mauville City

Performing in Hoenn

_**Now, we are back to our regularly scheduled program as they say on television. Continuing where we left off, Namaiki runs into the ruthless Pokémon Hunter, Damien. Let's see how she'll handle herself on her own for the first time, shall we?**_

Chapter 3: Mayhem in Mauville City

Questions ran in Namaiki's head like a marathon. She had no clue on who was that Damien Hunter guy and what does she want with her Pokémon. But the biggest distraction for Namaiki was that large scar running down the right side of his face. Come to think of it, didn't Nurse Joy mention something about a Pokémon Hunter? Regardless, Namaiki wasn't going to let anything happen to the Pokémon. Plusle and Minun were her partners who would be returning Pancham back to his trainer. She stood in front of the trio with her arms out, obviously showing no signs of surrendering. "You're not taking these Pokémon anywhere," she fired. "And if you want them, then go catch your own. These three are staying with me."

Plusle and Minun jumped in front of their trainer, standing on all fours as electricity sparked from their cheeks. Of course, they weren't going to let their trainer fight this guy alone. Pancham also decided to join the fun. It was the least he can do for the three helping him find Serena.

"Really?" Damien chuckled evilly. He found it adorable the little girl was playing grown-up. "Suit yourself, little girl. But I warned you." With a smirk on his scarred face, he ordered a Pin Missile attack from Beedrill. The stinger of the poison bee Pokémon shot out from its tails and changed to a dark greenish color, aiming at the small group.

Before the pin missile made contact, Pancham jumped in and created a ball of black and purple circles in each hand before combining them and fired the circles as beams. Pancham's move made direct contact with the pin missile and both attacks exploded in grey clouds of smoke. "PAAAANNNCHAAAAMM!"

Namaiki was astonished. That Serena girl did an incredible job raising Pancham. He handled that attack with ease. "Wow, you're one really strong Pokémon," Namaiki thanked.

"Cham?"

Plusle and Minun walked over to their new friend and exchanged thanks. "Plus."

"Min."

Feeling embarrassed, Pancham just turned his head with a few red marks on his face. "Now it's our turn. Plusle, Minun, discharge."

"PLLUUUUUSSS!"

"MIIIIIIIIIIIIIINN!"

Both the Cheering Pokémon released multiple bolts of electricity from their bodies at the Beedrill floating above Damien's head. But why was Damien just standing there? Wasn't he going to give a command? Suddenly, Rhydon sprung in front of Beedrill instantly and absorbed the discharged attack.

"YES! Direct hit!" Namaiki cheered with a grin on her face. "Way to go, you two." Namaiki thought it was nice how Rhydon took one for the team, even though it would include inflicting the damage onto itself. She looked over to Dennis and saw he was still grinning himself. _Why is he still smiling?_ She asked herself. The rookie trainer took a closer look at Rhydon, who stood there with electricity running through its body looking unaffected. The gray Pokémon puffed out its chest and all the electricity completely disappeared. "What? But how? That was a direct hit, so how is Rhydon still standing?"

"Rhy," the Drill Pokémon mocked.

Damien, on the other hand, laughed cold-heartedly. "Everyone knows Electric-type moves have no effect on ground and rock types. Stupid girl. Now, Rhydon, show them real power and use earthquake." Rhydon affirmed by jumping into the air. Once landing on both its feet, Rhydon sent out white soundwaves at the group which also caused the entire surface to shake and break apart. Pieces of rock flew out of the ground, immobilizing Plusle, Minun, and Pancham. Thanks to his smart thinking, Damien was handed a window of opportunity. It was time to end this childish battle quickly as he commanded Rhydon to use hammer arm. The Drill Pokémon sprinted in front of the trio as one of its forearms glowed white before slamming its opponents with it. Plusle, Minun, and Pancham were thrown backward, landing in front of Namaiki's feet.

"Are you three alright?" Namaiki asked in concern and terror.

"Plus!"

"Min!"

"Pancham!" They might be down, but they were not out. The truth was Namaiki never battled before and she never expected in a million years her first opponent would be a dangerous Pokémon Hunter. She questioned whether she was able to protect her partners plus Pancham. Damien commanded another pin missile attack. Beedrill's two stingers glow white and they fired multiple small, white needles at the trio of Pokémon.

"PAAANNCHAAAMM!" Pancham slammed a hand on the ground, causing a glowing light blue pillar of rock to service. Perfect timing too because the pillar deflected the pin missiles from contacting the three of them. Four more pillars appeared in front of the other. Afterward, Pancham jumped on top from pillar to pillar.

Namaiki couldn't stand by and do nothing. "Now it's our turn. Plusle, Minun, use discharge." The cheering duo followed Pancham's lead, jumping pillar to pillar where an angry Beedrill was waiting for them at the end of the road.

"Pin missile and earthquake," Damien commanded yet again. Rhydon sent shockwaves on the ground until pieces of the earth were thrown at the trio as its bug-type companion launched another pin missile from its abdomen. Plusle and Minun discharged volts of electricity while Pancham fired black and purple beams at Damien's Pokémon. All five of their attacks collided in a huge explosion that left the entire area in a cloud of black smoke and debris. The blast was enormous and booming to the point where a few individuals were observing the smoke from afar and decided to investigate. It might be the answers they were looking for.

The smoke was starting to fade away, but the area was still engulfed. Namaiki's eyesight was still unclear because of the smoke and she began to panic. "You guys okay?" she called out to the Pokémon.

"Plus."

"Min."

"Pancham Pan. Cham?" Instantaneously, multiple large boulders came raining down out of nowhere. Floating above Plusle and Minun's head, Pancham had no time to come up with a move to negate the attack. Without thinking it through, he ran over to his electric friends and pushed them out the way. Fully aware that he would be the one getting crushed from the boulders. The smoke cleared to reveal the glasses-wearing Pokémon laying on the ground defeated.

Damien was enjoying every moment of this so call battle. He adored watching his enemies crumble during the battle, which made him feel empowered and larger than them. The hunter even noticed how she wasn't even ordering the strange black and white Pokémon the entire time. Clearly, the girl was clueless when it came to Pokémon battles and that's what happened when kids want to play grown-up. Now it was time to end this childish battle. "Sludge bomb," Damien instructed Beedrill.

Beedrill swooped to the air as one of its arm stingers glow dark purple. It then brought its arms forward and released brown blobs of sludge at Plusle and Minun. The two scrambled in separate directions to avoid the filthy balls of sludge, but Beedrill continued firing its sludge bombs at them. "Keep dodging, you two," Namaiki courage. Plusle and Minun ran circles and after running straight into one another, they both were smacked with a sludge bomb that poisoned both.

"PLUSLE! MINUN! NO!" Namaiki scooped both her poisoned partners into her arms. Three little purple marks were on their faces while purple bubbles serviced over their heads. They were in no position to continue.

"See what happens when you play with the grown folks?" Damien mocked. "Now, I'm giving you one last chance. Hand over your Pokémon or things will get really ugly."

"Things got ugly the minute I looked at your face," Namaiki replied, aware she had no other Pokémon to battle. Despite being at a huge disadvantage, Namaiki was not about to yield for someone stealing Pokémon from trainers.

Damien glared down at the female trainer. "Still playing adult, huh? Very well. Beedrill, finished this annoying brat once more with another sludge bomb."

Beedrill released another round of filthy sludge directly at Namaiki and the three Pokémon in her arms this time. Seeing the brownish balls of poisonous slime drawing closer to her, Namaiki held the Pokémon close to her heart. She was going to protect them no matter what, even if it means she would be harmed in the process. However, there was no other solution except one: brace for impact. The pink-headed trainer took one last glare at the three injured Pokémon in her arms and closed her eyes as the sludge bombs exploded.

There was a moment of silence. Namaiki had plenty of thoughts running through her head at that point, trying to figure out what to expect the minute she opened her eyes. Her eyebrows separated as Namaiki was prepared for the worst. Plusle, Minun, and Pancham were still poisoned and injured, but safely in her arms. When the smoke cleared, the long-haired trainer found herself behind a Pokémon with cream-colored fur and four feelers holding a bluish-green shield. The shield was deflecting the sludge bomb attack. "Where did you came from?" Namaiki asked in curiosity.

"Pancham Pan!" The injured Pancham cried out in excitement.

"Pancham, do you know this Pokémon?"

"Pancham!" Someone screamed. Namaiki remembered that voice. It was the same girl she bumped into earlier ago. The same person with the short, honey-colored hair and a red waistcoat. Just the person Namaiki had been searching for and talk about perfect timing too.

"You're that girl from before," the pink head cried out. She happily transferred the injured Pancham into Serena's arms. Unfortunately, there was no time for a reunion. "Braixen, use Flamethrower," Serena commanded.

"Braixen!" The fire type jumped high in the air, reaching for her branch tucked inside her bushy tail. A flamethrower was released from the tip of her branch and aimed directly at the Beedrill. "BRAAAIXXENNN!" The Bug Pokémon was covered in a heated red and orange stream of flames. Giving its disadvantage, Beedrill suffered severe damage. It squeals in the burning sensation before crashing down on the ground with a loud thud. Beedrill was unable to continue, much to Dennis's dismay.

"Pancham, are you alright?" Serena asked her companion. Of course, she noticed the bruises and scratches all over his body.

"Pancham Cham," he answered, regarding his injuries. All eyes were on the poisoned Plusle and Minun in Namaiki's arms. The trainer felt like a total failure she was unable to do anything to prevent this from happening. Her blue eyes were starting to produce water and the water level increased every second they watched purple bubbles coming from Plusle and Minun. "We've got to get them to Nurse Joy, otherwise they're in serious trouble," Serena noted.

"You won't get that chance," Damien growled. "I'm taking every single Pokémon from you. Rock tomb." Damien's Rhydon created a red orb of energy in between its hands before tossing the orb into the air. The orb of energy then expanded and solidified into multiple large boulders that began to fall at the small group. But Serena was not about to give up.

"Sylveon, fairy wind," Serena shouted. Sylveon pulled her feelers together and the air around them started to glow light blue. Sylveon then spread her feelers wide open and spun them around like a powerful oscillating fan, sending the boulders flying back over to Rhydon and attacked the user instead. "Braixen, use hidden power."

"Braixen. BRAAAAIXEEEN!" Braixen fired a light blue ball in front of its hands at Rhydon, exploding right in its face.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" A furious Damien scolded at his own Pokémon. "GET UP AND FIGHT IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU!" Despite being heavily injured, the Drill Pokémon dragged itself back on its feet. "I WILL NOT LOSE TO TWO LITTLE KIDS. ROCK TOMB AGAIN!" That proved to be difficult. Before Rhydon could attack, the Pokémon stumbled backward and fell on one knee. "JUST SUCK IT UP AND FIGHT! DO IT NOW!"

It was disgusting to witness the poor treatment and lack of concern Damien was giving to his own Pokémon. He wasn't taking his own team into consideration. Rhydon was too weak to move or even respond. The hunter refused to take defeat lying down. He didn't come all this way to lose to some kids. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a black handle with a red button, which exposed a platinum net. "IF YOU WANT SOMETHING DONE RIGHT, YOU GOT TO DO IT YOURSELF!" He growled. A rope suddenly wrapped around Damien's arm, causing the net to fell out of his hand. Serena and Namaiki wondered where that came from and Damien was obviously asking the same question. "What the hell is this? Who's responsible?"

"That will be me," a male with brown hair stepped out with one end of the rope in hand. Officer Jenny and Breloom were standing alongside him. "I have to say, Damien, you left in such a hurry. It was almost difficult to catch up to you."

Officer Jenny walked up to the hunter with a pair of handcuffs in hand. "Damien Hunter, you are under arrest," the law enforcer announced, noticing the two female trainers across from her. "Are you girls okay?"

What a relieved. Serena and Namaiki were grateful for Officer Jenny and the guy with the cool uniform. "We are now," the latter answered.

"Thank you, Officer Jenny," Serena replied.

Unfortunately, the hunter was still playing hardball. He refused to accept defeat. "NO WAAAAAY!" The suspect hissed. "I'M NOT GOING BACK TO JAIL AND YOU BETTER BELIEVE THIS IS…"

"Then you leave us with no choice. Breloom, headbutt."

"Loom. BREELOOOM!" Breloom sprinted forward and slammed its head in the middle of Damien's chest. All the wind was knocked out of Damien. Breloom's headbutt was like getting slammed with a door too many times. He fell backward until his back hit the pavement with a thud. Damien Hunter was finally defeated.

* * *

"Thank you for your patience. Serena, Namaiki, I am happy to announce your Pokémon are fully in health and will be just fine." All five of them – Braixen, Sylveon, Pancham, Plusle, and Minun – sprinted to their trainers, more than excited to be back to normal and to be reunited once again. Relieved was an understatement to the level of joy that filled the entire Pokémon Center. Plusle and Minun crawled on either one of Namaiki's shoulder; the poison completely departed from their small bodies.

"Are you guys feeling okay?" Namaiki asked her cheering partners.

"Plus."

"Min."

They were back to their upbeat and smiling selves and the pink head couldn't be any more excited. Deep down she still felt responsible for Plusle and Minun getting themselves in that predicament in the first place, even though she had no intention of putting them in harm's way. But she could worry about that at another time. "I'm so happy you two are okay." The duo rubbed their cheeks together with hers, but it was soft enough to avoid shocking her with a nuzzle.

Braixen, Pancham, and Sylveon all gathered around Serena into a group hug. The four of them were together again as one team. Pancham suffered critical damage from the battle while Braixen and Sylveon only received minor injuries. "I'm so glad you're all safe and sound," Serena explained.

"Braix."

"Eon."

"And I'm also happy you're safe too, Pancham."

"Pancham."

With Damien finally in custody, Officer Jenny and Jackson stepped inside the Pokémon Center. "How is everyone's Pokémon doing?" Officer Jenny asked the two trainers.

"Just fine," Serena answered. "Everyone is doing fine."

"Well, that's good to hear. Sorry for not introducing myself properly earlier, I'm Jackson. I'm a Pokémon Ranger and clearly this is Officer Jenny." His little joke earned him a glare of obviousness from the female standing beside him. "Hi. I'm Serena and I'm from Vaniville Town in the Kalos region."

"And I'm Namaiki."

"Well, Serena and Namaiki, the people of Mauville City would like to give you two gratitude for your assistance in the apprehension of Damien Hunter."

"Oh, you don't have to thank us, Officer Jenny. It was not a problem."

Namaiki cut off the Kalos Native from saying anything else. "Yes, it was," she vocalized. "That Dennis guy was such a jerk and evil."

"I can't argue with that," Serena added. "That guy was so cruel to us, even to his own Pokémon."

"Yeah, we know. You two are lucky Officer Jenny and I came in the right time," Jackson responded. "It was a good thing we heard that explosion nearby." The Pokémon Ranger must be talking about earlier today. It made sense because that eruption was loud enough for the entire city could hear it from a mile away. At least Serena was able to track Pancham's location if it wasn't for that huge blast.

Things were still not adding up to female trainers. First off, why did that Dennis guy targeted them and what does he want with their Pokémon? "So, is it true that guy is a dangerous Pokémon Hunter?" Namaiki asked, noting the fact Dennis told her from the start.

Officer Jenny and Jackson both nodded. "We've been chasing after him since he escaped from us in Slateport City. We have reasons to believe he has connections with an organization called Team Covetous."

"Team Covetous?"

"It's a team filled with hunters that steal Pokémon then sell each Pokémon to the highest bidder at an illegal black market." Disgust was the one word that Serena and Namaiki could describe Team Covetous. Stealing Pokémon and selling them for a quick dollar was inhumane. At least, they helped take down one of them from causing any more harm.

"Have you found out more about this black market?" Serena wondered.

"No, we don't," Jackson answered. "I've been on this case for five months now, but I haven't gotten a lead until now. Perhaps a little trip downtown and some…convincing will get Dennis to talk more about Team Covetous. Anyway, we better get going. Thanks again for all your help." With that said, the two law enforcers walked outside.

"So, Kalos," Namaiki called out to Serena. "Where you are heading now from here?"

That's right. Serena was supposed to be registering for a Pokémon Contest. With everything that occurred, she forgot to even find information about contests. "Ummm…I'm not sure yet."

"Well, what's the reason you came all this way, Kalos?" Namaiki asked.

"To compete in contests, but I don't even know where I should go."

Namaiki came up with an idea. "Well, I'm heading to Littleroot Town to meet a friend. If you want, we can travel together for a while and both register for the first Pokémon Contest."

"Huh? You're competing in Pokémon Contests too?"

"This will be my first contest too." Wow. Her first day in Hoenn and already Serena met new Pokémon, clashed against a Pokémon Hunter, and made a friend who was also a rival all on the same day. What else was waiting for her in Hoenn? "So, what will it be Kalos?"

The honey headed rookie didn't have any other options. "Okay. We can travel together."

"Great. Now, let's get to the next town before it gets dark. We've already waisted an entire morning dealing with that Damien guy." With their Pokémon back in their Poke balls (with the exceptions of Plusle and Minun, who was still resting comfortably on Namaiki's shoulders), Serena and Namaiki barked on a journey to the next town as friends, traveling companions, and rivals.

"Wait! Serena, you have a…" Nurse Joy called out, but she was too late. The sliding glass doors closed behind them and the interior of the Pokémon Center was empty. "…package from Kalos."

* * *

_**There you have it. The chapter ended with Serena and Namaiki as friends, traveling companions, and rivals from this moment forward. What more excitement does Hoenn have to offer for the girls? Leave a review, follow, favorite this fanfic, and I'll be back with another chapter. Stay tuned.**_


	4. Chapter 4: Different Pathways, Same Rout

Performing in Hoenn

_**We're back with chapter four. Now that whole fiasco with Damien Hunter is over, Serena and Namaiki are off to the next town. I hope you have a good read.**_

Chapter 4: Different Pathways on the Same Route

The Pokémon Center was only several yards away, but Serena was fighting the urge to collapse on the ground. The first day in a new journey supposed to be filled with excitement and the thrill of adventure. But thanks to the recent events that occurred, the little bit of joy Serena had left in her was gone. From getting Pancham switched with an empty poke ball to running all over Mauville City searching for her missing Pokémon, colliding with an evil hunter, and traveling on foot to the next town. Her pupils were bloodshot red and she lost all sensation in her legs. The only thing that was keeping her from crumpling was the loud noise produced by Namaiki. "Hurry up, Kalos, or you're gonna get left behind," the pink head fired.

"Why couldn't we camp outside?" Serena returned.

"What for and the Pokémon Center is right down the trail?"

"I meant why didn't we set up camp before arriving in Oldale Town? Why do we have to rush?"

Namaiki scuffed before shooting an obvious glare at the Kalos native. Since the latter was new to her home region, Namaiki would give her a pass for today. "Because this face and long hair DO NOT mix well with camping. Now come on. It's already getting dark outside."

Serena collected the little bit of energy she had left in her legs and followed her crazy traveling companion to the Pokémon Center. That Namaiki was a piece of work, but at least the Kalos native didn't have to spend her first Hoenn night sleeping outside.

The interior of the Pokémon Center was smaller than the one in Mauville City, but there was still plenty of room for the number of trainers inside. Some were eating, chatting with one another, waiting for their Pokémon, or simply hanging around relaxing in the Trainer lobby. Nurse Joy and Chansey were standing behind the counter taking care of a trainer's Eevee. This Nurse Joy was no different from the Nurse Joy back at Mauville City. A hairstyle, hair color, and eye color were all the same and their uniforms; a pink colored dress with a white nurse apron around her waist. "Hey, Kalos, I'll go check us into a room for the night. Be back in a sec."

With Namaiki checking them in, Serena decided to make another call back home. But who should she attempt to contact? She already spoke to her mother earlier at the airport. "Maybe I should call Palermo," Serena thanked out loud, but there was one person she wanted to check up on since she flew to Hoenn.

Moments later, the face of a young female appeared in the multicolor screen. This girl was also a trainer like Serena and Namaiki. However, she had a dark skin tone with brown hair tied into two pigtails, wearing a reddish-pink top, and green eyes. One trait Serena also noticed was her casual smile on her face so wide anyone can spot it from behind. "Serena! It's so good to hear from you."

"Shauna!" Serena cried out after spotting her best friend again. "Nice to see you too."

"So, how's the Hoenn region?"

"It's been great so far, although I ran into some problems. Wait, how did you know I was in Hoenn?"

"Bonnie called me earlier and told me about your big Hoenn journey." Hearing that Bonnie told Shauna about Hoenn didn't come as a shock to Serena. It wasn't like Serena meant to kept it a secret or anything. She figured Shauna would find out eventually. "Why didn't you tell me?" Shauna asked with a pout on her face.

"I made this decision shortly after you left for Professor Sycamore. And I didn't know how to get in contact."

"You still should have at least given word to the professor, but no worries. I'm not mad."

"Oh yeah. Speaking of the professor, how are things going with you?" The honey-haired performer asked.

"Great. You should have seen all the wild Pokémon we'd met. One of which decided it wants to travel with me."

"You caught a new Pokémon?"

Her ponytail friend extended her arm out at the screen with a poke ball in hand. "Yeah. A Skitty and it's the cutest thing I have seen," she replied with blush marks on her face and her eyes shut.

It was good to witness Shauna taking the next step into her goal. However, that was exactly why Serena came to Hoenn. Of course, they were friends first, but they were still rivals at the end of the day. Rivals who were on different journeys for a similar goal and they could only be one victor. Rivals with no plans of showing mercy for the other. Rivals becoming stronger to be the next Kalos Queen. "Just think of all the ideas for future performances."

"You already know," Shauna affirmed. "So, don't stay too long in Hoenn. I need your ass back over here, so I can kick it. You are standing in the way of my Kalos Queen crown."

Clever wordplay. "Oh, don't worry. I'll be back real soon, but that crown is mine. You'll have to take it from me."

"Bring it on." Both their lips were tight, and eyebrows were raised to the top of their heads. This was such a fierce friendship and rivalry. "Before I forget, when I was talking to Bonnie, she told me something else happen just before you got on your flight. Care to explain?" The dark-skinned trainer finished with a wink and a cheeky smile.

It took Serena a few moments to realized what Shauna was talking about. Her demeanor changed the minute that little moment was brought up. Serena's face changed colors to a crimson red. Her pupils disappeared, leaving behind two white circles. The fedora she wore whistled steam off the top like a locomotive. Before the embarrassed girl could answer, two voices from the background cried out to her best friend. "SHAUNA!"

Shauna turned her head to the unseen people. "What's going on, you guys?" She waited for a response but shrieked in fear at the sight of a light blue orb heading directly in her path. Luckily, Shauna ducked her head as the hidden power missed her head by a few millimeters. "Shauna? Is everything alright over there?" Serena asked.

"I gotta go. Tierno and Trevor seem to be in trouble. They need my help."

"Okay. Talk to you later. Say hi to Tierno and Trevor for me." With that, their conversation ended. It was good to see Shauna working hard to make her dream come true. Now it was time for Serena to do the same. The Kalos native started her first day in Hoenn on a sour note. Once things settled and Serena got some rest, she'd investigate Pokémon Contests.

"Hey, Kalos," Namaiki called with a key in hand. When was she going to start calling Serena by her name and not her point of origin? "I finished checking us in. Our room is down the hall."

"That's great."

"Yeah, and I am so beat. I can use some sleep after today," the pink-headed girl yawned while stressing her arms. Oh, now Namaiki wanted to claim she'd tired. Not too long ago, she was springing all the way to Oldale Town like a wild Spoink. Suddenly, Serena was handed the key and a lavender-colored book bag. "Could you be a dear and bring my things in the room for me? I'll be in the shower. Thank you."

Serena gasped. "Hey! Wait a minute!" she protested. But Namaiki ran straight into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind her. How did Serena ending up holding the bags? She was starting to question her decision allowing the annoying long-haired girl for assistance in her Hoenn journey. This was Namaiki's home region, but she was a piece of work. Full of sassiness, she was irritating, and difficult to figure out.

The honey-haired trainer complained while walking down the hallway. Most of the doors were closed with those 'Do Not Disturb' signs hanging from the door handles from the outside like the ones in hotels. Continuing down the hall, she passed one room that featured two trainers (a male and a female) in a conversation. It sounded like they were discussing training strategies. Eventually, Serena came to her and Namaiki's room which was eight doors down from the lobby and two doors down from a separate hallway. Serena didn't know why Namaiki gave her the key to the room since the door was unlocked.

Walking in, Serena was amazed by the space. Two separate beds for both girls that were big enough for them to sleep with their Pokémon. A lamp in the shape of a poke ball on top of a nightstand was in between the beds. For a minute, Serena thought she was in a hotel rather than a Pokémon Center.

"Oh, wow," Serena commented looking out of the window. Even though there was nothing but trees and grass, Serena could still see a variety of wild Pokémon. There was a Diglet playing with a Dugtrio in the ground (obviously). From a distance, a wild Ariados just completed building its nest from between two trees.

"I call the bed near the window." Serena was caught surprised by Namaiki's voice. The crazy pink head came out of the bathroom wearing two towels; one around her body and the other around her hair. She grabbed Serena's pink bag and tossed it on the bed near the wall. "Sorry, Kalos, but I got this bed."

"Did you have to throw my stuff like that?" Serena scowled.

"What's the problem? They landed on the bed safely."

The Kalos girl sighed in defeat. No used wasting her time trying to explain it. "Never mind," Serena stated. "I'm going to take a shower."

* * *

By the time evening fell on Oldale Town, most of the trainers at the Pokémon Center already went to sleep for the night. Serena walked out of the bathroom wearing a lavender hoodie that had pink heart insignias near the hips along with dark pink shorts and a red bow tied on the front of her head. She walked into the room to find Namaiki wearing an amethyst colored shirt and a pair of violet pajamas shorts that matched the color of her sleeves. The Hoenn trainer's right hand was inside the rubber band before she reached for the back of her hair while grabbing a fist full of hair using her left hand. "That's an awful huge amount of purple on you," Serena commented. "Is that your favorite color?"

"You can say that," Namaiki giggled with her pink hair now in one ponytail, scanning the honey headed girl's pajamas. "Should I assume that pink is your favorite color, Kalos?"

Serena responded with a sheepish laugh while she climbed underneath the bedsheets. Braixen, Pancham, and Sylveon were all already sound asleep. Since this was their first night in Hoenn, Serena let her team out of their poke balls for the night. "So, what do you think?" Namaiki asked.

"Umm…they look…really good on you. Purple is your color. It suits you very well," Serena awkwardly answered, followed by another sheepish laugh. Not sure how to comment on Namaiki's pajamas.

"I'm talking about your first day in Hoenn, Kalos. How are you liking my home region so far?" The entire day lasted longer than Serena had expected. Ever since she landed, her entire body started to grow numb. It wasn't easy leaving her own region for another one, followed by saying goodbye to all her friends and her mother too. Beginning a new journey is never easy, but Serena was more nervous than at the start of her journey in Kalos because that was her home region. So, she was used to her own environment. But the minute she stepped off that plane, it was like Serena entered a whole different world. A world with new people, fresh new obstacles to get past, and Pokémon she had never even seen before. Her mother was back at home while the rest of her friends went their separate ways following their dreams. "To be quite honest, I'm not really sure how to describe today," Serena responded. "I mean I'd recently ended a previous journey, but…"

"But it must feel scary being in an unfamiliar environment, right?" Namaiki finished Serena's sentence.

"Yeah."

Namaiki's smile was replaced with a frown upon her face. Arriving in an unfamiliar environment was never easy and quite frightening. The pink-headed rookie knew exactly where Serena stood. Her entire world changed drastically for the worst. As a result, she and her mother moved to Mauville City to readjust their future together. "So, why did you flew all the way from Kalos?"

"To compete in Pokémon Contests. I told you that earlier."

"No, I mean why? Do you want to be Top Coordinator too?"

"Huh? Top Coordinator?" Serena never heard of a Top Coordinator before. It must be the kind of goal Namaiki had her eyes on based on her response. "Is that Hoenn's version of Kalos Queen?"

And that was the first time Namaiki heard of a Kalos Queen. "What's a Kalos Queen?" she asked.

"In my region, all coordinators are called performers who compete in Pokémon Showcase," Serena answered. She also added that the top ranking to Hoenn's Top Coordinator in Kalos is Kalos Queen. Namaiki didn't fully understand, but she needed more information on Serena, especially since she was going to compete in contests. And since the Hoenn native was a rookie coordinator herself, that classified them as rivals. However, there was one option. "Hey, Kalos," Namaiki called out. Serena turned her head to face Namaiki. "Let's have a Pokémon battle tomorrow."

"Huh? A battle?" The honey-haired girl was curious about Namaiki's request. "Where did all this came from?"

"Earlier today. I admire the way you battled alongside your Pokémon during that whole Dennis situation. Besides, you came here to compete in Pokémon contests and so am I. Consider it as a preview to our real battle once we get on stage. So, what do you say, Kalos? You and me? One on one?"

Namaiki eyeballed at Serena as she waited for an answer. Meanwhile, there was a moment of silence while Serena stared at the ceiling. A battle against Namaiki would help prepare her for what would come for them both in contests. Speaking of which, the Kalos native had yet to find any information about Pokémon contests. However, there was always the following day for a fresh start. With a smile on her face and her eyebrows batted down, Serena eyeballed at her rival. She separated her upper lip and bottom lip to let out a few words. "You've got yourself a battle."

Namaiki nodded after receiving the confirmation. "Well, it's getting late and we need to get some sleep." Obviously, it had been a rough day for them both. From getting Pokémon switched to dealing with a crazy Pokémon Hunter, all they could think about was getting some rest for the night. So, they would have to finish up their conversation later. Nevertheless, Namaiki had something else in mind that'd help her understand Serena more. After exchanging goodnights, the girls turned off their lamps and went to sleep.

When everything was all quiet and peaceful, Namaiki pulled out an old picture from underneath her pillow. Inside the picture were a family of three. Her mother was in the far back with the same hair color as the daughter wearing a light purple apron with pockets over a green skirt, a black long-sleeved button-up shirt, light brown house shoes, and a platinum ring on her left middle finger. A male figure with tan skin and brown, messy hair stood beside her with his arm draped over her right shoulder. Namaiki's father's outfit consisted of a red flannel shirt that exposed a regular black shirt, blue jeans, and brown Timberland boots. His Blastoise was standing next to him.

Finally, standing in front of them with a smile on her face was none other than Namaiki at the time where she was too young to become a trainer. She was in a lovely, fabric two-tone dress that was as pink as her hair and a pair of white Mary Jane shoes with a pink ribbon on each shoe. The young version of Namaiki was also holding her mother's Wurmple while Plusle and Minun were hanging on either shoulder. What a lovely family picture.

It took everything inside the present Namaiki to avoid shedding a single tear. Looking at the picture helped her remember all the happy times her family usually had. She was still in denial at how quick all that changed over within a short amount of time. After tucking the picture back underneath her pillow, Namaiki rested her head and began to drift off into sleep. How did things turn out like this?

* * *

Outside of the Pokémon Center, Serena and Namaiki faced one another on opposite sides of the battlefield. "We each use one Pokémon only and the battle is over when that Pokémon from either side is unable to continue," the latter suggested. "Is that okay, Kalos?"

"Sounds fine to me," Serena answered.

Namaiki already chose Plusle to be her partner for the battle. Minun was standing on the sidelines holding two light blue orbs of electricity in his hands like pom-poms. It swirled them around while jumping on one foot like a tiny cheerleader, cheering for its teammate.

"Min! Min! Min! Min!" Minun chanted.

"Alright, Kalos," Namaiki shouted. "What Pokémon are you gonna battle with?"

That was a good question. Serena had three Pokémon to choose from, but who was the better choice? While Plusle and Minun are both electric-types, Braixen is a fire-type, Pancham is a dark and fighting-type, and Sylveon is a fairy-type. Neither side had nor an advantage or disadvantage. However, Serena had one upper hand due to Namaiki's lack of battle experience following her poor performance from yesterday's confrontation against Dennis. Additionally, Serena's Pokémon were well raised and been into multiple battles before. So, the odds were in Serena's favor.

Pancham ran over to his trainer and poked her leg a few times to get her attention. His female trainer looked down at him. "What is it, Pancham?" Serena asked. "Do you want to battle?"

"Pancham Pan," Pancham answered, wanted to demonstrate his battle skills in a real Pokémon battle. Without giving Serena to make the confirmation, the mischievous Pokémon sprinted onto the field. Braixen and Sylveon were disgruntled by his actions. Leave it to Pancham wanting to be disobedient.

"So, you're going with Pancham," Namaiki stated.

Serena giggled cheekily, scratching her right cheek with a drop of sweat running down her face. "I guess I am."

"He saved Plusle and Minun from becoming part of the ground yesterday. Maybe a good fight would be our way of saying thanks. Right, Plusle?" Little sparks were released from its cheeks to demonstrate the level of confidence Plusle was storing. Namaiki decided to take the first move. "Use discharge."

Plusle released multiple bolts of yellow electricity from its body at Pancham. "Pancham, use stone edge," Serena commanded.

"Pan," the Playful Pokémon replied. He slammed his hand on the ground and five blue pillars of rock rose to the surface and surround Pancham. Instead of the yellow bolts targeting Pancham, the discharge attack struck at the pillars.

_Unbelievable _the trainer thought to herself. _But rock tomb is an offensive move_. Plusle and Minun were shellshocked along with Namaiki. She never saw a Pokémon using an offensive move like rock tomb to disperse another attack, but it wasn't the time for praise. The blue pillars fell apart, leaving Pancham wide open for an attack. Namaiki had to make a move and fast. "Alright, Plusle," she yelled. "Use spark."

"PLUUUUUUUUUSS!" Plusle yelled and surrounded its body in yellow electricity and then charging forward straight for Pancham. Spark was one move Pancham didn't witness yesterday.

"Arm thrust," Serena fired. Pancham charged forward Plusle while his arms glowed white. He swung both arms in front of him and caught his electric opponent in midair, stopping its spark attack. Both trainers were rooting for their Pokémon to keep pushing and neither Pancham or Plusle were giving in. However, the black and white Pokémon proved to be stronger as his Arm Thrust slowly penetrated spark. Eventually, Plusle let up and was launched back on its side of the field.

"AHH!" Namaiki shrieked. "Plusle, are you alright?"

Despite shaken, Plusle stood back on its feet as more electricity escaped from its cheeks. "Plus," Plusle confirmed.

"Way to go, Pancham," Serena praised her partner along with Braixen and Sylveon.

"Pan."

The girl was stronger than Namaiki thought. She could tell right out the back her Pokémon were raised and trained well which worried the Hoenn trainer. Not counting yesterday, she had never been in an official Pokémon battle and already the pink rookie had plenty of knowledge to absorb in the long run. "Dark pulse," Serena ordered.

Pancham created a ball of black and purple circles in each hand. He then combined them before firing the circles that beamed straight for Plusle. Suddenly, Namaiki commanded Plusle to use a quick attack. The red cheering Pokémon disappeared away from the dark pulse then reappeared before charging for Pancham, creating a white trail behind from the white outline surrounding Plusle. Plusle slammed its head on Pancham, causing the latter to stumble backward. "CHHAAAAMM!" Pancham grunted.

Namaiki was finally getting somewhere. "YES! Keep it up, Plusle. Discharge!"

Plusle released another round of multiple yellow bolts of electricity from its body and aimed it directly at Pancham. There was no time for the Playful Pokémon to go on the defense. The bolts were traveling faster than the previous attempt. The discharge made contact, blinding half of the field in a fuzzy cloud of smoke and sand. Once the air settled, the same five blue pillars appeared again. However, Pancham was standing top of one of them with his red sunglasses over his eyes. The Discharge had failed again.

He lifted his sunglasses up, looking down at his opponent with a cocky grin. "What!?" Namaiki muttered in confusion, unable to think of another attack. "B-But…that was supposed to be a direct hit."

Namaiki didn't hear Serena commanded another rock tomb. Either way, Kalos wasn't playing around and not holding anything back. Despite at the disadvantage she was in, Namaiki smiled with amazement. Serena had the potential to be an interesting coordinator and a strong rival to beat. "Discharge," she commanded.

Plusle aimed another stream of bolts at the top of the pillar. However, Serena had everything planned from the start. "Dark pulse," she screamed.

Pancham leaped into the air before the discharge destroyed the pillar he was standing. He performed a series of front flips before released another round of black and purple circles from his mouth.

"Discharge!" Namaiki warned, but Plusle had zero time to prepare. The dark pulse was closing at full speed. Left with no other option, Namaiki watched in horror as Plusle was covered in a combination of smoke and sand. When the air resolves, a defeated Plusle was laying on its back.

Pancham jumped into Serena's arms and was filled with needed praise on a remarkable battle. Braixen and Sylveon followed and surround their friends. "You were amazing, Pancham," Serena congratulated.

"Braixen!"

"Eon!"

Meanwhile, Namaiki and Minun sprinted toward their fallen partner. Plusle was going to be alright, but it felt depressed for letting the team down. "You battled so hard, Plusle," the trainer comforted. However, Plusle was still unsure of her words. Namaiki sensed the self-doubt and shook her head in denial. "Don't worry that you lost because we'll get stronger together."

"Min." Minun agreed.

After the victory celebration, Serena walked over to Namaiki and her Pokémon to check on Plusle. "Is Plusle okay?" she asked.

"Plusle will be fine,' Namaiki answered, carrying the injured Pokémon in her arm. Minun crawled over on her left shoulder. "I gotta say, Kalos, you're a lot stronger than from what I pictured. You were totally in sync with your Pokémon."

"Thanks, but the real winner is Pancham. He did all the work." Serena lifted Pancham up to congratulate him on a job well done. In return, Pancham returned the hug his trainer too for being the best trainer to battle alongside with.

"Well, we have some training to do because I'm not going to lose against you again, especially in contests."

"And I'm not gonna lose either," Serena fired back. That battle presented all the answers Serena and Namaiki were searching for about one another. For one thing, they were both trainers looking for a fresh start, but the girls already knew that since the moment they ran into one another. Secondly, Serena and Namaiki were rivals from that moment forward. Rivals that would eventually battle against one another on that stage during Pokémon Contest and fully aware of the fact only one could cross the finish line first.

* * *

_**Serena and Namaiki's Hoenn journey have officially kicked off. I hope everyone is enjoying "Performing in Hoenn" just as much as I enjoy working on it. I never put out four chapters in one week, but I wanted to start 2020 out with a positive note. Leave a review and I'll see you all on the next chapter. Stay tuned 2020.**_


	5. Chapter 5: Ancient History of the Ruins

Performing in Hoenn

_**Continuing where chapter five left off. Enjoy.**_

Chapter 5: Ancient History of the Ruins

"Hi. This is Namaiki. I can't come to the phone. Leave me a message and I'll get back at you soon. Or not. Depending on how I feel. Bu-bye."

*BEEP*

Cameron scuffed after getting her voicemail. He shook his head in aggravation and slapped his face. "Hey, Namaiki. It's me…again," Cameron said, leaving a voicemail. "I've been calling you for the past five times. I'm at Professor Birch's research lab waiting for you. Call me back, or better yet just your big-headed butt over here." He finished the voicemail by hanging up the phone. "That Namaiki wants to ride on my butt, but she hasn't shown up yet? Ridiculous."

Cameron grunted with impatience follow by more frustration. "And she wanna get on my ass about showing up," he thought out loud. After basically getting threatened by Namaiki, Cameron reluctantly arrived at Professor Birch's research lab to avoid getting an earful of her complaining. Once he walked out into the field, he observed his little sister chasing all the wild Pokémon in her tangerine-colored dress with the arum-lily designs and her brown hair tied together into two side ponytails by two blue rubber bands. Seeing Tenshi smiling and having a fun time making their arrival worth waking up so early in the morning. Besides, there was another reason Cameron showed up to the research lab so early.

Cameron took out a camera from his bag and threw the strap over his shoulders. Tenshi was currently being lifted off the ground with the help of two green vines by a ginormous Venusaur. "Having fun, little sis?" The older brother asked.

Venusaur lowered Tenshi down close to her brother. "Big brother, all the Pokémon here are so much fun," she explained, leaning forward to give him a hug. "Thank you so much for bringing me here."

"I only agreed because mom threatened to take my camera away. But I'm glad to see you having fun."

A slight blush appeared on her angelic face as her smile grew wider. "Hey, Cameron? This Pokémon looked awfully like Bulbasaur."

"That's because this is Bulbasaur's final evolve form, Venusaur," Cameron stated.

"Venusaur," the large grass Pokémon confirmed, shooting a nod at the pair of siblings. The duo then noticed something flashing underneath Venusaur's head. Held by a piece of string around its neck, the Seed Pokémon was wearing a ribbon with four light blue strips. Two of which were looped together along with the string by a gold badge-like medal.

"What a pretty ribbon," Tenshi complimented. Suddenly, an idea came in her small head. "Hey, bro. Could you catch Venusaur for me?"

"Venu?" Venusaur was surprised by the sudden proposal.

"Tenshi, I'm not even a Pokémon trainer myself yet. Plus, I think Venusaur has a trainer since it's wearing a ribbon around its neck." Venusaur confirmed Cameron's statement with a nod. Besides, you're too young for a Pokémon anyway, little sis."

After hearing Venusaur was already caught, Tenshi pouted with her arms folded. She really wanted to care for a Pokémon so bad, but with no luck because of her age. "But I want my very own Pokémon. Big bro," she complained. Cameron needed to think of something before he suffered another night of nonstop wining from the little girl. "I have an idea. You can help me choose out my first Pokémon and whichever one we pick, you can help me raise it. Does that sound fair?"

The brown-headed girl frown was turn upside down. Just because she was too young to have a Pokémon on her own, it didn't mean she was prohibited to help raise one. She nodded her head with a light shade of pink appearing on her face. Suddenly, a Zigzagoon crossed her path and Tenshi decided to chase after it.

Cameron pulled out his black camera with a yellow detachable strap inside of his bag. After throwing the strap around his neck, he flipped a little black switch to the "ON" position before pointing the lens directly at Tenshi with the wild Zigzagoon. Looking through the small screen, Cameron turned the zoom ring until his lens was wide enough to capture his sister and the Tiny Raccoon Pokémon.

"Give me smiles. I want to see big smiles," he suggested, prompting Tenshi and Zigzagoon to flaunt their smiling faces to the camera. "Perfect."

Cameron then pressed the shutter release button and a sudden flash of white appeared until a happy picture of Tenshi and Zigzagoon shown on the screen. A wonderful picture Cameron just took.

* * *

"I see. So, Professor Birch is the resident Pokémon Professor of Hoenn," Serena noted. Her Pancham was playing with Plusle and Minun after Serena decided to let him stay out after the battle.

Namaiki was walking beside Serena on their way to Littleroot Town. "Yeah. Professor Birch specializes in the habitats of Pokémon," Namaiki added. "He also gives away Pokémon out to new trainers."

"Reminds me of Professor Sycamore."

"Professor Sycamore? Is he your professor, Serena?" That was the first time Namaiki called Serena's name and not Kalos. She took out her projected route to exhibit a photo of a middle-aged man with black, curly hair smiling at the camera. He was standing in front of a two-story building. Standing on his left and right were two females in lab coats and a Garchomp. "That's Professor Sycamore," the Kalos trainer pointed to the man. "That's his research lab in Lumiose City. It's like the Kalos version of Muville City."

Serena also mentioned he was the one who let her choose Braixen as her partner when the Fire-type was still a Fennekin. As the trainer continued talking, Pancham ran across them. He continued to chase after Plusle and Minun further down into the route.

"The Kalos region?" Namaiki zoomed in on the picture to get a closer look at Professor Sycamore. "Wow. I have to admit he's cute." That little comment earned the pink-headed trainer a frozen stare from Serena. "What? I like his hair. Wait, did you mention mega evolution?"

Before Serena could elaborate, they hear a crash not too far away. The girls looked straight forward and found a man with tan skin on the floor surrounded by random papers that were scattered all over the ground. Plusle, Minun, and Pancham were standing on the sidelines with their heads down looking mighty guilty. "Are you alright, sir?" Serena asked with concern. It didn't take a genius to figure out what happened.

The stranger was shaken but pulled himself off the ground. He got back on his feet revealing his brown hair, grey shirt, camouflage pants, and brown boots. "I survived worst situations than this," the male proclaimed. "Though I didn't expect to step on your Pokémon like that so suddenly."

Serena and Namaiki couldn't help but feel guilty for the man. It was their Pokémon who knocked him down and made him dropped all his papers. The least they could do was help him pick up his papers. "We're really sorry about our Pokémon," Serena explained.

"Plusle, Minun, you apologize to this man," she demanded the duo.

"You too, Pancham," Serena fired at Pancham.

The three Pokémon stood in front of the male adult and apologized for their actions. Serena and Namaiki continued gathering the scattered paper. "We're really sorry for the trouble our Pokémon caused you," Namaiki said.

The mischievous trio continued to show remorse to the male figure. "It's okay. I still have all my research, so everything is fine. By the way, I'm Professor Alden," He introduced himself while packing all his important papers back into his teal green bookbag.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Serena," she introduced herself followed by Pancham.

"I'm Namaiki and you already met these two troublemakers, Plusle and Minun," Namaiki announced. "If you don't mind me asking, but what's this important research you were working on?"

Professor Alden smiled with his eyes closed. He reached into his bag to grabbed one of the pictures to hand to the girls. "The Oldale Ruins?" Serena and Namaiki read at the top.

Underneath the text was a picture that presents two rows of four dark blue stone pillars surrounding a larger rock in the center. It almost reminded them of Pancham's Stone Edge. There was a little opening in the middle of the center rock, but neither Serena nor Namaiki could tell because of the angle the picture was taken. "Say, is that a hole in the center rock?" the latter asked.

"That hole is the entrance that could lead to ancient Pokémon living in those ruins." That wasn't Professor Alden. Shooting all three of their heads up, a red-headed figure stumbled upon the group wearing a gray suit with matching pants and silver dress shoes. His red hair was trimmed and looked like it came to blow with a bubble beam attack but came out victorious. With his hands behind his back, the male approached the group with a casual smile on his face.

"Alphonse Ross? Wow. I did not expect to run into somebody like you," the archeologist introduced himself, shaking his hand in the process. The handshake revealed the platinum watch around the red head's left hand.

"Likewise," the well-dressed figure responded. "Have we…met before?"

"No, but I'm honor meeting somebody like you."

Mr. Ross chuckles at the little compliment. "I appreciate the kind words, Mister, …uhh…"

"Professor Alden." From the look and sound of things, this Mr. Ross person seemed heavily popular and noticeable in Hoenn. Not to mention his appearance was sophisticated. Everything was modest about him from his short layer haircut to even the gold laces on his shoes. "Serena, Namaiki, this is Alphonse Ross. He's the CEO of the successful media company, Ross Corporations," Adri introduced the girls to the grey-collared man.

"How are you doing, sir? I'm Serena from the Kalos region." Serena responded first. Braixen, Pancham, and Sylveon exchanged warm greetings before they introduced themselves to Mr. Ross.

"I'm Namaiki and I'm from Mauville City. Nice meeting you, sir," Namaiki introduced. Plusle and Minun climbed back on her shoulders as the sassy redhead greeted them. "And these two are my partners, Plusle and Minun."

Alphonse shot his casual smile at the two female trainers. "It's a pleasure meeting you two, young ladies."

"Umm, Mr. Ross, what exactly does a media company do?" Namaiki asked with her left eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"Not exactly. Ross Corporations is responsible for the content and distribution of a lot of televised events," Alphonse explained, but he lost the trainers after mentioning the name of his company. They both raised an eyebrow with their heads tilted to the side. "Is he bilingual?" Namaiki whispered to Serena who just gave out a sheepish giggle.

Alphonse overheard the comment and chuckled. "I see it's a little challenging to explain. Basically, Ross Corporations helps televised events like Pokémon Contests and the Pokémon League."

"When I was speaking to Ross Corporations the other day, I didn't expect to meet up with the CEO himself," Professor Alden said.

"I couldn't let this opportunity pass by. This is a personal experience I must explore for myself."

Serena and Namaiki stepped into the conversation. "Does it have to something to do with this?" The latter asked while pointing to Oldale Ruins on the flyer Professor Alden gave. Both the professor and the businessman nodded their heads to confirm Namaiki's question. Led by the adults, everyone headed to the Oldale Ruins that was only a walking distance away. "So, what's so exciting about a bunch of rocks?" Namaiki asked as Plusle and Minun climbed up on her shoulders.

Mr. Ross and Professor Alden chuckled at Namaiki's question. By that time, the small party had already reached the ruins. The ruins were exactly like the photo the archeologist showed the girls. Eight dark blue pillars surrounding a stone chamber that was sitting in the middle. The structure within the ruins looked significantly damage. From the look of each pillar, they appeared to be on the verge of collapsing any given moment. "There's a stone chamber deep within the ruins and it's also a portal between our world and the ancient Pokémon world," the professor added. "But its strange construction makes any attempt of entering the chamber difficult because it will begin to crumble."

"What do you mean by ancient Pokémon?" Serena asked.

"Well, Serena, what the professor is trying to say is that there could be ancient Pokémon that are living in these ruins today," Alphonse added. "Ancient Pokémon that have not only been living since ancient times but their appearance remained the same."

"How many years are we talking?" Namaiki wondered.

"About more than a hundred million years ago, but that's something I read."

"A HUNDRED MILLION YEARS?" Both the young trainers looked at each other in shock, confused, and denial. Interesting as that may sound, Serena and Namaiki question how Pokémon could live that long in one space without any source of food. There had to be more to the story. Once they approached the entrance, Professor Alden stopped everybody. "Before we step into the chamber, please be very careful when walking inside," the professor warned. "As I mentioned, the structure is very unstable. Just walking inside could cause the entire chamber to collapse."

"Exactly. So, we need to be extremely careful," Alphonse added.

"Right," Serena and Namaiki agreed. The latter turned to Plusle and Minun to make sure they were perfectly clear as well. Both Pokémon nodded in agreement and Serena wanted to be certain Pancham understood as well. The only thing that stood in their way of meeting ancient Pokémon was a large silver door with a Y-shaped symbol in the center. The symbol also had four yellow openings; one at the end of each point and one in the center. "How are we supposed to get inside though?"

"Legend has it you need four treasures as keys to open the door," Mr. Ross explained. He also added that forcing the door wasn't an option because the entire chamber would collapse.

"Does anyone know where the keys are?" Namaiki asked.

Professor Alden shook his head and replied no. "A year ago, I was exploring these same ruins when I was taken by an evil organization."

"You're talking about Team Magma?" Alphonse guessed.

"Yeah. How did you know?"

"It was all over the news. I read in a news article about them infuriated these exact ruins for their plans to control the legendary Pokémon, Groudon."

"Yeah. They took pictures of the cravings because they thought it would help, but I guess it didn't help them. Professor Alden mentioned that three of the keys were scattered all over the region to avoid any chances. The fourth one Professor Alden actually had in his possession. Serena and Namaiki felt a little disappointed hearing that they won't see any ancient Pokémon, but they knew it was probably for the best. Mr. Ross reached into his jacket and took out a small brown box. Inside the box were four multicolored orbs. One was red, the second one was green, the third was a blue key, and the last key was yellow. He placed each of the keys into the right slot. "Are these the keys you were talking about?" Alphonse asked.

"The four treasures to open the ruins," Professor Alden confirmed.

"Those are the keys?" Namaiki asked. "I thought you said they were scattered all over the region."

"What can I say? I've been all over this region. Just so happened I ended up finding them." Something wasn't right, but Namaiki couldn't put her finger on it. She found it awfully strange how Mr. Ross discovered all four keys. If Professor Alden was the one had the keys, she would understand. Whatever the case was, Namaiki was growing a bit suspicious about Mr. Ross.

Professor Alden began putting each key in a slot. First, he inserted the red key into the upper left opening. Next, he followed by putting the green key into the opposite slot on the right. The blue key went into the bottom slot and the yellow key went into the center. Within moments, the entire ruins began to rumble. At first, Serena and Namaiki thought the ruins were going to collapse and grew frightened. Even Plusle and Minun took cover in Namaiki's backpack. All four keys started to glow just before the door slid backwards to reveal a flight of stairs.

"So, girls, how is your journey coming along? Did either of you catch any new Pokémon?" Mr. Ross asked Serena and Namaiki as they walked down the stairs.

"Actually, we had a few…setbacks?" Serena responded awkwardly.

Namaiki responded, "That's another way of saying we ran into some problems. We had our Pokémon switched by mistake, but the real problem we had was protecting them from this Pokémon Hunter in Mauville City."

Hearing that little detail sparked inside Alphonse. "A Pokémon Hunter? In Mauville City?"

"Yeah and he was awful too," Serena added. "He showed no concern for his own Pokémon."

"He even has this huge scar across his face. Freaks me out."

"A scar on his face? You mean Damien Hunter?"

Namaiki didn't even mention Dennis's name yet. She wondered how Mr. Ross knew about him. "Yeah, but how do you know his name?"

There was a moment of silence. Eventually, Mr. Ross opened his mouth to resume the discussion. "Let's just say I have some business with him, but I've seen the news about him stealing those Pokémon Eggs from the Pokémon Center.

"We're here," Professor Alden announced. The group reached the end of the staircase. Braixen shined her flame around the area to reveal the hundreds of cravings mounted on the walls surrounding them.0 Everybody entered the chamber Professor Alden was talking about. While Professor Adri and Mr. Ross went to explore the cravings, both trainers decide to do some sight-seeing for themselves. The chamber was filled with panels of ancient people and Pokémon living together for centuries. One panel had three humans supposedly dancing with a Pokémon with a flat-circular head with large, sharp scythes for hands. Another craving showed a Pokémon with large, membranous wings. The mouth was gaping with a ridged snout.

Namaiki held her right hand over one of the cravings which exhibit a strange-looking Pokémon. It wasn't like anything she had seen. Since it was a craving, Namaiki couldn't make of the creature's colors. It did have a protruding cheekbone, a triangular spike protrudes from the back of its head, a spot on the side, and the strange Pokémon also had pectoral fins. Its tail had a wavy outline. But it was clearly a water-type Pokémon; the fins gave that away. "That Pokémon is a Relicanth," Mr. Ross stated. The CEO stood right beside the long-haired trainer.

"A Relicanth? I never heard of that Pokémon before." Mr. Ross handed Namaiki a picture of a Relicanth. For a second, Namaiki mistook it for a rock because of its appearance. Then again, the Pokémon almost reminded her of a Magikarp but darker. It was covered with tan patches, the spot on his side was red, and Relicanth was covered with brown scales. "Is that what it looks like?"

"It's also a rock-type Pokémon. Maybe one day you'll see one in real life," Alphonse added.

Namaiki still found all this hard to believe. How could a living creature that lived for a hundred million years still be alive? The young girl doesn't even know a human who was over a hundred years old and still living. "How do you all this stuff if you're a CEO?" she asked.

"I took history classes and a Pokémon mythology course back in my college days. I also have a colleague who studies Pokémon history."

"And these Pokémon have lived in these ruins for years?"

"Millions of years. Before even our own ancestors and their ancestors were born."

Looking back at the panels, Namaiki resumed absorbing the Pokémon craved. Maybe it was difficult for her to understand since everything Mr. Ross and Professor Alden informed her occurred before even the very first member of her family was born. One way or another, Namaiki learned there might be more to Pokémon than she had already known.

"Professor? Is there something wrong?" Serena asked Professor Alden. "You've been staring at that door since we came here."

"Well, Serena, there's a secret passage underneath the chamber that hides an underground cave with a water supply," Professor Alden answered. "Not only is the lake the bridge between the past and the present, but it was also the current home to some of the ancient Pokémon now." In other words, Serena and Namaiki were moments away from witnessing ancient Pokémon. The only obstacle standing in their way was the door. "I remember this door sliding open and revealed a hidden staircase."

"Do you remember how the door opened?" Namaiki asked.

"Well, the last time, it was morning, the sun was rising…" With a snap from his fingers, Professor Alden thought a way to open the door. "The sun. That's how we can the door to open."

"How?"

Serena suddenly thought of an idea. "I know how we can get the sun to open the door." Serena suddenly ran back outside with Pancham following after his trainer. After calling Sylveon out of her poke ball, Serena commanded Pancham to use Stone Edge. Slamming his fist onto the ground, five light blue pillars to appear from the ground. The last rock lifted Sylveon off the ground and into the air.

"Now, Sylveon, use Protect." Sylveon spread her feelers wide open as they were holding a bluish-green shield. "Try to angle it so the sun's rays can aim inside the chamber."

"Eon," Sylveon tilted her feelers a little lower to navigate the sun's rays. The rays bounced off Sylveon's Protect shield and aimed inside of the chamber.

"I see what Serena's doing," Namaiki pointed at Serena's plan. What it seemed like nothing was happening, the keys started to glow again, but white. The entire inside of the chamber began glowing as well. Eventually, the door slid backwards again to revealed a secret staircase.

"Serena, it worked. There's a hidden staircase," Namaiki yelled to Serena. The Kalos native, Pancham, and her Sylveon walked back into the ruins to join everyone else. Once everybody reached the bottom of the stairs, they walked inside the hidden cave Professor Alden mentioned. The rocks inside the cave were almost as blue as the underground lake itself. "It smells so amazing," Serena commented.

"Beautiful," Namaiki added. All the Pokémon walked around the lake, admiring the beauty. Namaiki dropped to her knees and peaked her head into the lake, but making sure she didn't fell in the water. Plusle and Minun were standing on the other side of the cave with Serena's Pokémon. Seeing their trainer peeking her head into the lake, the electric duo did the same. However, Minun got a little too close and ended up stumbling forward. Plusle attempted to catch his friend but fell with him. Thankfully, Sylveon used her fillers and caught them before they fell into the lake. "Hmmm. I don't see any ancient Pokémon," Namaiki commented.

Namaiki got her request when a Pokémon surprisingly jumped out of the water. Its brown scales reminded the group of craggy rocks. The Pokémon was covered with tan patches and there was a red spot on each side. "There it is. The ancient Pokémon, Relicanth," Professor Alden announced.

"That's an ancient Pokémon?" It was the first time Serena had seen an ancient Pokémon and it was called a Relicanth.

"Braix!" Braixen called out the Kalos trainer. Everyone looked over to the Pokémon on the other side of the cave. They were overlooking an entire school of Relicanth. Some were swimming on top of the service looking at the different Pokémon on the land. Others were swimming around the lake and minding their own business. "No way. There's so many of them," Serena commented.

So, those were the ancient Pokémon that remained unchanged for a hundred millions of years. Serena would never forget that moment. After checking out the school of Relicanth inside the chambers, everybody was outside. Serena and Namaiki had learned more information about the mysterious world of Pokémon and Professor Alden got to finished his research. "That was an amazing experience," Mr. Ross complimented. "You always learn something new when it comes to Pokémon."

"Where are you heading off to now, Mr. Ross?" Professor Alden asked.

"I've got some business to take care of in Petalburg City, so I'm afraid I have to go. What about you two?"

"We're heading to Littleroot Town. Namaiki has to meet up with a friend of hers at Professor Birch's research lab," Serena answered.

"I see. Well, I wish you girls the best on your journeys. And stay safe out there too. Professor Alden, it's been a pleasure meeting you." Both the CEO and the archeologist shook hands. After saying goodbye to the female trainers, Mr. Ross headed east to handle his business.

"Since you two are going to Littleroot Town, how about I take you over to Professor Birch's research lab?" Professor Alden. "I have some business to take care in Littleroot Town myself. So, it's not a problem."

Serena and Namaiki agreed on the offer. It would be great for them to get off their feet and relax from all the walking. "Great. Thanks so much."

* * *

Relaxing in his hotel room, Alphonse's phone started to vibrate on his nightstand. It was an unfamiliar number, but it had the Hoenn region area code. He had his suspicions on who could be calling him. "Hello?" Mr. Ross answered the phone.

"Did you find out anything about those kids yet?"

"As a matter of fact, I did. Both girls? One with the Pancham and the other with the Plusle and Minun?"

"Yeah. Those are the children who got me arrested. So, how are you going to handle them?" Alphonse looked out the window of his hotel room and into the night sky. "They might be a major problem," Damien finished.

Alphonse didn't think Serena and Namaiki were that much of a threat. From where they stood, their encounter with Damien was a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. But he knew Damien wanted revenge, so it might be best if he kept an eye on the girls. He took out the picture from earlier and examine both trainers again. "I have a plan," he said while smiling to himself.

* * *

_**I'm sorry this chapter was a bit confusing, but I wanted to detail a little bit of Alphonse Ross's character and give Cameron an introduction. As you can see, he is a bit of a mystery and it appears he got something in store for Serena and Namaiki. This isn't my best chapter without a doubt, but there's always room for improvement. Keep an eye out for Alphonse and Damien because you will see them again. Next up is Littleroot Town and Professor Birch's research lab. Leave a review and I'll see you guys in chapter six.**_

**_Stay tuned._**


	6. Chapter 6: The Start of Something New

Performing in Hoenn

_**After five long chapters, Serena and Namaiki have finally reached Littleroot Town. Enjoy.**_

Chapter 6: The Start of Something New

Kicking the door open, a furious Heather stumbled inside the room with her ripped up vest-like jacket in hand. There were slashes all over it resulting in cotton puffing out. But Heather was more furious about her blonde hair. It was an absolute mess, having been pulled several times almost to the brink of exposing small parts of her scalp. "This is the worst day of my life," she hissed like an angry Siviper.

Bell couldn't help but snicker under his breath at the state his partner was in. "Not what I pictured your hair would look," Bell joked. "Is that a new hair trend or having some kind of crisis?"

For her response, an angry Heather threw the ripped-up jacket at her nerdy partner. "Oh, shut the hell up," she fired before dragging her feet to a chair next to him. While Heather was strengthening her hair with a sparkling purple hairbrush, Bell had to laugh at seeing his partner in such a state. It was too priceless for the male. "STOP LAUGHING!"

"But you look so cute when you're pissed off."

"Yeah? I wonder how you would look with a foot up to your ass."

"Calm down. There's no need to get violent," Bell assured. "Look on the bright side, Heather: once we nailed this black-market deal, just think of all the hours you'll have at the salon."

That was all the persuading Heather needed to calm down or at least for a moment. "I guess," she proclaimed.

"Meanwhile, I happened to know a great wig place," Bell added just to spite her further. His plan work and Heather growled like an angry Poocheyna. She threw her brush across the room missing Bell by a few inches. "Keep it up, Bell. One day, you're gonna come up missing and when the boss asked what happen, I did it."

"You did what?" Alphonse asked out of nowhere. Hearing their boss's voice ringing through their ears suddenly, Bell and Heather immediately jumped to their feet. All eyes were on their Team Covetous leader who appeared before the duo on the big screen.

"Mr. Ross, sir," Heather replied. "I was just discussing to Bell about…uhm…"

However, Alphonse just raised a hand to silence her. Whatever it was, they could tell their boss later. Alphonse needed Heather and Bell on an important assignment. "As you two are aware, Dennis was apprehended by Officer Jenny. Turns out the new recruit, Jackson, is actually Pokémon Ranger."

"What?"

"I assumed he was sent to investigate Team Covetous, so I'm afraid our entire operation might be compromised."

Heather and Bell glance at each other with concerns running through their bodies. "Sir, what does this mean for us?" The former asked her boss.

"The investigation is still onward," Alphonse replied. "For now, I have an important assignment for you two." A picture appeared on the screen. It was the same picture Alphonse took inside the Oldale Ruins with Serena, Namaiki, and Professor Adri. "Apparently, the girls in this photo had a run-in with Dennis in Mauville City too and they play a part in his capture."

"Those girls? They don't appear to pose a threat," Bell claimed.

"Yeah, but they might know something about Team Covetous. If these girls did defeat Dennis, then we need to keep our eyes on them. Team Covetous can't afford to have any outsiders exposing our operation," Heather explained.

"I guess you have a point. I guess our first order of business is finding out who the girls are."

"…and their current location."

"None of that is necessary. I know exactly where they're heading," Alphonse said still appearing on the screen. "Littleroot Town, but I have a plan."

* * *

Since Professor Alden had errands to run in Littleroot Town, he offered Serena and Namaiki a lift to Professor Birch's research lab after they explored the Oldale Ruins. During the drive to Littleroot Town, a conversation between the professor and the trainers rang. "So, what brings you to the Hoenn region in the first place?" Professor Alden asked while making a left turn at an intersection.

"I heard about the Pokémon Contests over here. After I ended my Kalos journey, I decided to fly here to register as a coordinator," Serena answered.

"Didn't you say you're competing in contests too, Namaiki?"

"Yeah. I think it'll be a great experience for me," Namaiki proclaimed. After thinking about it, Serena had some concerns about that. If they were both going to compete in contests, it might be a little strange for them to travel together. They might be friends, but the girls were rivals nonetheless. They would need to practice for upcoming contests and they couldn't observe one another for obvious reasons. Whatever their plans were, Serena could worry about it later. First things first: finding out about the contests and registering for the first one.

"We're here. Professor Birch's research lab," Professor Alden announced to his passengers. He stopped his vehicle in front of a building with an orange roof. "The place where new trainers come to obtain their first Pokémon and begin their journeys."

Exiting the vehicle, Serena and Namaiki made sure their bags and other belongings were in their possession. They took one final look in the backseat, making sure neither one of them left anything behind. "Did you two left anything back there?" the Professor asked.

Serena and Namaiki scanned the backseat one last time. "No. We got everything," the latter closed the door.

"Alright then." Professor Alden announced That was where they parted ways. "Stay safe and good luck, girls. I'll be cheering for you both in the Pokémon Contests."

"Bye. Thanks for the lift."

"See you later and good luck with your research."

After waving farewell to the archeologist as he drove away, Serena looked around her unfamiliar surroundings. The exterior of the lab was splashed with a turquoise blue paint with an orange rooftop. Standing in front of the lab, Namaiki scanned the entire area searching for her friend. But to her frustration, Cameron was nowhere to be found. "That damn Cameron," she scuffed under her breath. "HE was supposed to be here by now." She took her phone out and dialed Cameron's number. Unfortunately for her, the call went straight to voicemail again:

"Hi, this is Cameron. You know what to do."

_BEEP!_

"Cameron, it's me again. I've been calling you for the past two days now," Namaiki said over on the voicemail. "Look, I'm at Professor Birch's research lab. Stop being lazy and answer the phone already."

Once the long-headed trainer ended her voicemail, Serena stares at her with an eyebrow raised. "Do you always leave voicemails like that?" The Kalos native asked.

"Just Cameron with his hardheaded butt," Namaiki hanged up the phone. "He makes me sick."

Namaiki walked up the hill with Serena following her lead. At this point, the girls were only inches away from the front door. "You mentioned Cameron is a photographer, right?"

The Hoenn native signed with disappointment. "Yeah and a very shitty one at that."

Serena was surprised to hear such language coming from Namaiki. Changing the awkward subject, the Kalos trainer noticed Pokémon scattered all-around back. "Look at all those Pokémon," Serena voiced out. While absorbing the Pokémon, Serena spotted a seemingly small tree with a pink, white-spotted flower and a seed on top rising from the ground. A quadruped Pokémon with bumpy, blue-green skin was revealed. The 'tree' was supported by a brown trunk surrounded by green fronds. "Hey, Namaiki, who's that Pokémon?"

"Hmm? Oh, you're talking about the one with the huge flower on its back?" Serena nodded. So, that was a flower and not a small tree. "That's a Venusaur. It's the final evolve form of Bulbasaur."

"Oh. My friend, Shauna, has an Ivysaur, so I thought that Venusaur looked familiar." But Venusaur sparked a resemblance to Namaiki. Like she'd seen that Pokémon from somewhere before. The biggest hint was the ribbon hanging from its neck. Namaiki saw that ribbon from a contest she watched. "That Venusaur…" she said. "I think I've seen that Venusaur."

Before Namaiki could elaborate, she felt a small hand pulling on her right arm. "Surprise!" Tenshi voiced. The smile on her face was angelic it wouldn't be a surprise if a halo was floating on top of her head.

"Tenshi! I didn't expect to see you."

"Cameron said I could help pick out his first Pokémon," Tenshi responded.

"Oh, how sweet. Speaking of Cameron, where is that brother of yours?"

"I'm right over here." And there he was wearing a hoodie, blue jeans, sneakers, and a red snapback turned backward. "Good to see you finally showed up, Namaiki."

"I should be the one telling you that."

"I was the one waiting for hours and Tenshi was growing hungry. So, I took her for some lunch. I called you a few times and even left you a voicemail," Cameron protested.

"What voicemail? I didn't hear my phone ring."

"Check your phone and see for yourself." With her phone still in hand, Namaiki scrolled through her recent calls. At the very top, she noticed the three missed calls and an unopened voicemail. The missed calls and the voicemail were from Cameron. "Hey, Namaiki, I got all sixteen of your voicemails. I've been waiting for you Professor Birch's research lab as you demanded. Listen, Tenshi is with me and I'm going to take her for some lunch. Just in case if you and your new friend wondering where we are. See you then."

After the voicemail ended, Namaiki found the reason she couldn't hear all the calls. "My ringer was off. I forgot to turn it back on this morning."

Cameron looked down at his childhood friend, shaking his head in disappointment. Every night, Namaiki turned off her ringer to concentrate on her beauty sleep. But today, she forgot to turn her ringer back on full volume. Slightly embarrassed, a blushing Namaiki just turned away as if she had done nothing wrong. But enough about Namaiki and her mess. Cameron turned his head and observed Serena standing beside her, witnessing the two friends bickering back and forth. "So, you must be Serena from Kalos."

Serena replied, "Yeah. Nice to meet you."

"Namaiki told me about you. Cameron's my name. Nice to meet you too and this is my beautiful little sister, Tenshi."

"Nice to meet you," Serena said to the little girl.

"Venusaur!" Tenshi gasped in excitement. Before even introducing herself to Serena, the little girl took off full speed toward the huge Seed Pokémon.

"I'm sorry. Tenshi loves Pokémon," Cameron pointed out.

Serena just laughed it off. "I know somebody exactly like that."

Cameron began to unbuckle his pants suddenly, much to the shock and embarrassment of the two girls. "What are you doing?" Namaiki asked with a huge redness on her face. Serena, on the other hand, just turned her face away.

"You said you wanted to see my butt when you got here. So, I'm letting you see it."

"And you better believe I'm gonna kick it," After she attempted to kick him, Cameron laughed and buckled his jeans back. Of course, he wasn't going to moon Namaiki. It was just fun messing with her. That was one thing Namaiki was annoyed about Cameron. Half of his tactics were nothing but ruses to get under her skin. Sure, it would be smart enough for Namaiki to simply ignore them.

Numerous barking was suddenly heard from the distance followed by a scream of panic. Turning their heads to the noise, the trio noticed a heavily built man running toward their direction. Behind him were three Poochyena chasing him. Yet another unfamiliar Pokémon for Serena. She would comment on how cute they were, but the man looked like he needed help. "Professor Birch?" Namaiki questioned.

The trio witnessed Professor Birch climbed up the nearest tree and rushed to his aid. "Professor!" Cameron called out.

"Help! Please help!" Professor Birch screamed. In the middle of the greeting, three poke balls fell onto the ground through the hole in his bag. All three of the poke balls landed in front of the Poochyena, distracting the three barking Pokémon temporarily. Hanging on for dear life, Professor Birch asked for one of the trainers to call out one of the Pokémon inside to scare off the angry Poochyena.

"Alright then," Cameron grabbed the poke ball near his feet. After a click of the button, he threw the poke ball in the air. The button opened and a white light streamed out and onto the floor, sparkling as it materialized. The Pokémon before the group was a small, quadruped Pokémon. It has a blue body with a light-blue underside. The Pokémon also has star-shaped gills for cheeks, a bluefin on top of its head, and a light-blue tail fin.

"Mudkip."

"I heard about this Pokémon. It's a Mudkip," Cameron explained.

"So, that's what a Mudkip looks like," Namaiki commented.

"What do I do now?"

"Call an attack," Professor Birch answered.

"Like what?"

"Water gun." The branch Professor Birch was holding onto started to break. Looking down at the Poochyena still barking at him, the professor was getting desperate. "HURRY!"

"Alright, alright. Mudkip, use water gun," Cameron commanded.

Mudkip opened its mouth and a spiral of water was released, but it aimed directly at Namaiki's face instead of the Poochyena. Namaiki's face, hair, and the upper part of her top were soaked in water. "Are you okay, Namaiki?" Serena asked in concern.

On the other hand, Cameron burst out laughing. The attack didn't go as planned, but at least he got a good laugh at it. "Good work, Mudkip."

Annoyed, Serena decided to step in. "Totodile, use water gun," she commanded the small water-type. Pointing at the Poochyena, Mudkip released another water gun. Only this time, soaking the angry barking Pokémon. The three Poochyena turned their attention away from Professor Birch and pounced at the Big Jaw Pokémon, obviously angry at getting doused. "Mudkip!?" Mudkip just stood there frozen, scared out of its mind and not knowing what to do. "Braixen, flamethrower," Serena threw a poke ball out.

After Braixen was released from her poke ball, she quickly reached behind and grabbed her branch. The Fox Pokémon then released a red-orange stream of fire from the tip of its stick. The flamethrower surrounded the angry Poochyena in a bright heat and that was enough to finally calm them down. Eventually, the Poochyena forgot why they were there and ran off the scene, leaving trails of smoke behind from their tails.

"Wow. You're stronger than Namaiki claimed," Cameron commented to Serena. "It's all clear, Professor. You can come down now."

"Glad that's over," Professor Birch sighed in relief. "Thanks, young lady. You save me."

"You must be Professor Birch. I'm Serena and I'm from the Kalos region," Serena introduced her.

"I'm Namaiki from Mauville City," Namaiki introduced herself.

"And I'm Cameron. I came from Petalburg City to start my first journey as a Pokémon Trainer."

"Nice to meet all of you. I'm…" Before Professor Birch could introduce himself, he noticed the branch was beginning to crack again. Eventually, the branch couldn't hold out anymore. Eventually, it broke off the tree, sending the professor crashing down. "FAALLLIINNNNNNGGG! OUFF!"

* * *

"Come on! Please? Just a few more minutes is all I'm asking."

Tenshi followed Joshua all the way back inside the lab. With a poke ball in his hand, she desperately tried to persuade the assistant into letting her play with Venusaur for a little more while. "I'm sorry, Tenshi, but Venusaur's trainer recently called asking for her return," Joshua replied.

"Can I at least say bye to Venusaur?" Tenshi begged once more. She gently tugged on Joshua's lab coat, pleading him to release the Seed Pokémon one last time for a proper goodbye.

Joining everyone else in another room, Cameron overheard his little sister. "Tenshi, what are you doing?" Her big brother asked.

"I just wanna say goodbye to Venusaur before she leaves."

"Tenshi, it's time for Venusaur to return to her trainer."

Tenshi just pouted and folded her arms in disappointment. Maybe one day, she'll catch her own Bulbasaur and raised it into a strong and powerful Venusaur. That is when she becomes a trainer herself. "Professor Birch, who's Venusaur is that?" Namaiki asked. "I know I've seen it from before."

"Venusaur belongs to a trainer name May," Joshua answered.

Namaiki knew that Venusaur looked familiar, but she couldn't believe it belonged to May of all people. Her eyes shot wide open and her pupils sparked with amazement follow by a few pink blush marks on her face. Cameron's reaction almost matched hers except his eyes were heart-shaped. "That's May's Venusaur? I KNEW that the Pokémon looked familiar."

But Serena had one question. "Who's May?"

"WHAT?!" The two childhood friends haven't known Serena that long, yet they were shocked to find out she never heard of May. "How could you not know who May is?" Namaiki fired. "May is one of Hoenn's most popular Coordinators. She's the Princess of Hoenn."

"She once placed runner-up in the Wallace Up," Cameron added.

"She also came back after placing in the quarter-finals of the Sinnoh Grand Festival." Namaiki was referring to May's recent journey in the Sinnoh region. Professor Birch jumped in to explain the reason why her Venusaur was at his lab in the first place. While competing in the Top 4, May and her Venusaur were battling against another coordinator and her Mamoswine. Despite the effort they put inside the battle, not only did they lost their chance of moving to the finals, but Venusaur ended up injured in the process.

"Which is why May asked me to watch after her Venusaur," added the professor as Joshua placed the poke ball in the Pokémon Transporter. "So, Cameron, are you ready to choose your first Pokémon?"

"Yeah, I'm ready."

Professor Birch and Joshua presented three poke balls that were laying on the table. "These are the three Pokémon new trainers in the Hoenn region can choose from," the former explained. Cameron proceeded in grabbing the poke ball on the far left. Clicking on the gray button, a blue light popped out and landed onto the floor and was materialized. Appearing in the room was a green reptilian-like Pokémon. It has yellow eyes with long, narrow pupils, stomach and throat are red, and a dark green tail with two separate lobes. "This Pokémon is called a Treecko, a Grass-type."

"It's pupils are huge," Namaiki commented.

"Well? What do you think, Cameron?" Serena asked.

"Mmmm…I'm not sure. Let's see what else is there." Cameron grabbed the poke ball in the center of the table, releasing his second option. With the resemblance of a baby chick, this Pokémon's body was covered with orange feathers. It has stubby, yellow wings, an orange/yellow crest on its head that look like a flame, and three toes on each foot. "Torchic," it greeted everyone.

"This is Torchic," Joshua said. No need to explain that Torchic is a Fire-type.

The girls were adorned by its small size. "It's so cute," Serena commented.

Torchic seemed to be fond of Tenshi already as the Fire-type could be seen nuzzling its head on the girl's leg. In response, the little sister lifted up the tiny Pokémon and hugged it. "You are such a cutie."

"Tor."

"Will you hurry up and make up your mind already?" Namaiki was getting impatient. The sooner Cameron selected his partner, the faster she and Serena could register for the upcoming Pokémon Contest.

The male grabbed the last poke ball on the table. "Would you stop rushing me? I still need to see the last Pokémon."

Two starter Pokémon down, one more to go. Cameron opened the poke ball, releasing the last Pokémon. Since the other two were a Fire-type and Grass-type, the last one was obviously a Water-type. However, the last starter Pokémon was revealed to be the same Mudkip from before – the same Mudkip that sprayed Namaiki with Water Gun. "That's the same Mudkip I released earlier," Cameron noted.

"Don't even think about it," Namaiki demanded, remembering her hair getting wet. "My hair and I got a taste of its water gun, remember?"

"Come on, Namaiki. This little guy didn't mean any true harm," Serena stated.

Now that Cameron saw all three of Hoenn's starter Pokémon, it was decision time. Treecko appeared to be a strong and resourceful Pokémon. Torchic was cute and very fond of Tenshi. Mudkip seemed to be loyal the way it used water gun on command and Cameron loved how it wetted up Namaiki's hair like that. "Mud."

"Huh?"

"Mudkip."

"Hey, big brother, I think that Mudkip wants to be your partner," Tenshi commented.

"Mud," Mudkip confirmed.

"You think so?" Noticing the smile on the Mud Fish Pokémon's face, Cameron can suddenly see it now. He and Mudkip being the best of friends, traveling around the world together, meeting other Pokémon, and more importantly, capture every cherish moment on camera. Picking the Mudkip in his hands, the inspiring photographer had one question to ask the little guy. "Would you like to be my partner, Mudkip?"

"Mud," Mudkip confirmed with a smile and a nod.

That settled it. Mudkip would be joining Cameron as his first Pokémon. "Welcome to the family, Mudkip."

"Mudkip."

Once he made this decision, Professor Birch handed the male Mudkip's poke ball, five empty poke balls, and a Pokedex. The Hoenn Pokedex was a small, red device with a horizontal hinge that allowed the upper part to fold down and cover the screen underneath which was used to scan and collect data on Pokémon. Since Namaiki was also a new trainer, she was presented with a Pokedex of her own and four poke balls. Four because she had two Pokémon already – Plusle and Minun. "Serena, would you like a Pokedex?" Professor Birch offered to the Kalos native.

"Yeah. Thanks, Professor."

Of course, Tenshi asked for a Pokedex of her own, but her request was denied because she was too young to become a trainer. Obviously. "Let's test them out and see how they work."

Serena, Namaiki, and Cameron all held their Pokedex in front of the starter Pokémon trio. Cameron had his aimed at Mudkip, Namaiki's on Torchic, and Serena's was pointing at Treecko. "Mudkip, the Mud Fish Pokémon. Mudkip uses the sensitive fin on its head to take radar receptors of its surroundings. In a pinch, it can brandish enough power to crush rocks."

"Torchic, the Chick Pokémon. Torchic is highly attached to its Trainer, always following behind with unsteady steps. It can launch fireballs of 1,800 degrees that could leave its foe scorched black."

"Treecko, the Wood Gecko Pokémon. Thanks to the tiny spikes covering the bottom of its feet, Treecko can walk on ceilings and walls. Since Treecko builds their nests in large trees, it is said those trees will live a very long life."

The Pokémon living in Hoenn were amazing. Each one of them had their own qualities and Serena couldn't wait to learn more. But she hadn't forgotten the real reason she was down there. Now that she obtained a new Pokedex, Namaiki reunited with Cameron, who was starting his first Pokémon journey with Mudkip, time to register for the Grand Festival. "So, where are we heading now?"

"How about Petalburg City?" Cameron suggested.

"Yeah," Tenshi second that. "Petalburg City is where me and Cameron live. It's also the sighting of the next Pokémon Contest. We'll be happy to show you around."

"But that means we'll have to cut through Oldale Town again. That's the only way to get to Petalburg City from here," Namaiki noted.

"That's the only way we'll get to Petalburg City from here. Duh."

Serena viewed Namaiki's face while waited patiently for her to clap back on Cameron. But instead, the Hoenn girl could be seen thrusting her lips and her cheeks are as puffy as one of those angry Swirlix that attacked her one time. It was awkward watching the two bicker back and forth like a married couple, but at the same time, hysterical.

_Things are going to be interesting_

* * *

_**Yes, things are going to be interesting. Now that Cameron and his new partner Mudkip are going to be traveling with Serena and Namaiki. The next stop is Petalburg City, but there's no telling what could happen now that Heather and Bell are heading straight for them. Leave a review, favorite my fanfic, and I'll be back with a new chapter. Stay tuned.**_


	7. Chapter 7: In A Sticky Situation

Performing in Hoenn

_**I'm back with another chapter and this is where things are about to get insane from here on out. The gang is now heading to Petalburg City – Cameron and Tenshi's hometown. Let's see how they're doing.**_

Chapter 7: In A Sticky Situation

"Serena from Vaniville Town is now registered to compete in the Hoenn Grand Festival. The number of ribbons currently in your possession: zero. We wish you the best of luck on your journey."

"Namaiki from Mauville City is now registered to compete in the Hoenn Grand Festival. The number of ribbons currently in your possession: zero. We wish you the best of luck on your journey."

"Serena, Namaiki, I am happy to announce your information has been processed into the database successfully," Nurse Joy said, congratulating them while returning the girls their Pokedex back. They were taking the next step into making their dreams come true. Serena and Namaiki were officially Pokémon Coordinators.

"Thanks, Nurse Joy."

"Yeah. Thanks so much."

Chansey walked toward the rookie Coordinators carrying a gray with two ribbon cases, two contest passes, and two pamphlets on top. The pamphlets contained all the rules and guidelines every Coordinator needed to follow. Along with the pamphlets were two contest passes Serena and Namaiki would need to register for any Pokémon Contest throughout Hoenn. Finally, they received their own ribbon case. Serena's ribbon case was pink that match the pink dress she was wearing underneath her waistcoat. Namaiki's yellow case matched the same color as her hairpin. "And remember you each need a total of five ribbons to compete in the Grand Festival," Nurse Joy explained.

"Wow. You must know a lot about Pokémon Contest."

"Well, of course. Nurse Joy is part of the panel of judges in every Pokemon Contest," Namaiki stated. That explained why Serena saw Nurse Joy when she was watching that contest.

"That's right. I saw you judging the Slateport City Contest. Must be difficult juggling from running this Pokémon Center and being a judge through the region."

"I'm afraid you confused me with my cousin," Nurse Joy defused Serena's claim. She whipped out a picture and presented Serena and Namaiki. "See? This is a picture I took with all my cousins after graduating. All the Nurse Joys in Hoenn are the judges the Pokémon Contests."

"Wow. You can hardly tell the difference." Namaiki wasn't even trying to be sassy this time. The photo unveiled Nurse Joy with all her cousins, but it was problematic to figure out which one was the Oldale Town Nurse Joy the girls were talking to. Every Nurse Joy on the snapshot shared the same resemblance with the only exception being the different colored crosses on their hats.

Serena didn't know how to respond. Looking at Nurse Joy in the photo reminded her about all the Nurse Joys back in Kalos. "Did you two finished registering yet?" Cameron asked as he walked over to the girls.

"Yep. We're both all set," Namaiki answered.

Tenshi called for everybody in the lobby. "You guys, the next Pokémon Contest is about to be announced."

Vivian Meridian appeared on the television screen holding her gray microphone. Playing on her left was a recap of the contest from Slateport City. "Congratulations to the winner of the Slateport City Pokémon Contest, Drew," Vivian said to the viewers. "Drew recently returned from Kanto, and he has already collected two contest ribbons since his return."

"That Drew seemed quite strong," Tenshi complimented. During the recap of the contest battle, May and Drew returned their Pokémon back into their Poke balls and meet one another halfway. Their conversation couldn't be heard, but it ended with them shaking hands. "I was rooting for May to win. Sad that she lost."

"With three ribbons away, Drew is already one step closer of recompeting in the Grand Festival again," Vivian said. "For the rest of the coordinators, there's still plenty of time left. The next Pokémon Contest will take place at North Petalburg."

The scene from Drew receiving the contest ribbon was cut to a camera view of a city. Exhibiting afterward was a cheering crowd standing outside of a stadium-like building. "North Petalburg? That means we have to past by our hometown," Cameron pointed out to his sister.

"I haven't been in Petalburg City since me and my mom moved to Mavuille City," Namaiki added. Back at the television screen, a separate picture emerged to Vivian's left. "I've just received intel that May will be competing, and as you can tell by this crowd, the people of North Petalburg are eager to see her compete."

Many people from the crowd were wearing either merchandise featuring May's face or holding posters exhibiting their love for the female coordinator. "Those are some devoted fans," Tenshi commented. The screen broadcasted a variety of May's previous Pokémon Contests. "Is May really that strong?" Serena asked.

"Absolutely. She's not called the Princess of Hoenn for nothing," Namaiki replied.

"If she's competing, then you two need better come up with some form of strategy," Cameron suggested to which Serena agreed. Even though it would be her and Namaiki's first Pokémon Contest, the competition was already heated. "We can worry about that another time," Namaiki responded. "Let's head for the next town."

* * *

"Any sight of those kids?"

"If you wanna know that badly, then grab some binoculars and help me." Heather looked at the photocopy featuring Serena and Namaiki again. She scanned the route for the eighth time, but she couldn't find them anywhere. Instead, Heather spotted a trainer climbing a tree wearing a sleeveless green shirt and a pair of grey sweatpants while a Spinarak could be seen on his right shoulder. Angered and frustrated, Heather threw her binoculars on the ground. "This is ridiculous. What are we even doing here in the first place?"

Bell sucked his teeth at his female partner. "Look, we were ordered to find these girls and ambushed them. If they defeated Dennis as Alphonse claimed yesterday, then Team Covetous is endangered of being compromised because you know that Dennis is clueless as a Psyduck."

"True, but why do we have to wait for them here?" Heather was talking at the fact they were in the middle of nowhere. Everywhere the duo turned their heads, they found themselves surrounded by trees, leaves, and everything else green. "Alphonse said they were heading for Petalburg City."

"Alphonse also said they were heading for Professor Birch's research lab, which is in Littleroot Town," Bell responded. Bell also noted they would have to pass through Oldale Town and the route they were on is the only way for them to get to Petalburg City. "So, instead of risking searching for them in Petalburg City, we'll just wait and let them come to us."

"I guess you made your point," Heather finally approved. "But we've been waiting for four hours. Who's to say the girls didn't pass this route already."

"Let's just give it a little more time. You know, they say good things come to those who wait." Bell took out two hand size cameras and two collars from a bag. "Now, released your Taillow. I have an idea."

Reluctant at first, Heather grabbed her poke ball from her belt and released her Taillow. Shortly, Bell freed his Swellow as well. "This won't hurt. Just hold still." Bell wrapped each collar around their necks before installing a camera in front. "And there."

"What are you doing now?"

"While we're ambushing the girls, our Swellow will be in the air recording the entire time," Bell explained.

"Speaking of which, look who's heading our way." Bell looked through his binoculars and discover Serena and Namaiki walking down the route, heading in their direction. "But wait? Who's the boy and the little girl?"

"I Don't know. Never seen them before and Alphonse didn't mention them yesterday." Bell scanned the picture once again and didn't see them anywhere. "They're not in this picture either."

"Do you think they'll pose a threat as well?"

Using their binoculars, the troublesome duo looked at the group who were a few hundred yards away. The long-haired pink head and the girl with the short, honey-colored hair were their attended targets, but they had no idea who were the others. There was a male trainer talking to the girls and a child running around them playing with Pokémon. Whether or not those two were involved in Dennis's capture remained a mystery. "Only one way to find out."

* * *

"Pokémon Showcases?" It was the first time Namaiki and Cameron heard about Pokémon Showcases. While walking on the route to Petalburg City, Serena told them about her past journey as a Pokémon Performer in her region. The Hoenn friends were surprised by the many differences between contests and showcases. According to Serena, trainers are called Pokémon Performers if they were to compete in showcases and only females can participate. Performers need to obtain three Princess keys in order to compete in the Master Class where they compete against other Coordinators for the highest title of Kalos Queen.

"And you made it all the way to the finals? On your first journey?" Namaiki asked.

"So, you're a pretty strong trainer," Cameron commented. "You could learn a thing or two from her. Right, Namaiki?" His last remark earned him a sharp look from the long-haired female.

"But in the end, I still came short from Aria," Serena replied, staring at the clear blue sky while a slight dose of wind blew through her hair. It was the symbol of a new beginning in Serena's life. The start of a fresh new start for improvement and growth. "I still have growing to do. I heard about the Pokémon Contests here and I thought Hoenn would be perfect to start a new journey."

Namaiki didn't have anything to say about hearing Serena's story. It was truly inspiring for her to grow stronger for her, Plusle, and Minun. "Well, Serena, just know I'll be rooting for you," Cameron replied.

A few pink blush marks appeared on Serena's face as a slight giggle escaped her lips. "Thanks so much, Cameron." That reminded Serena about some of the rules in her pamphlet. "Although, I didn't know male trainers can be Coordinators too. The rules for Pokemon Contests are a lot different than I expected.

"Oh yeah? Wait until you become a part of one," Namaiki stated. Even though the upcoming Petalburg City Contest would be her first one too.

"Don't run off too far where I can't see you, Tenshi" Cameron warned his sister. But it didn't seem his warning went through to the small child. She was still running down the trail with Mudkip, Plusle, and Minun beside her. Cameron was happy to see his flesh and blood sister smiling and having fun despite the fact they were returning home. He also failed to inform Tenshi that she would not be traveling with him. It was also great to see Mudkip was making friends since Cameron choose it to be his partner yesterday.

"Tenshi is so cute," Serena complimented. "She reminds me of Bonnie."

"Who's Bonnie?"

"She's a friend I traveled through Kalos with. Her and her brother, Clemont."

Reaching into her pocket, Serena took out a picture and gave it to her new Hoenn friends to look at. Namaiki and Cameron examined the five people standing together with a few Pokémon in the picture with them. Serena pointed to the old picture of her wearing a dark gray tank top with a white collar, a red skirt, dark gray stockings, and a dark pink hat. "That was you, Kalos? Why did you cut your hair and change your clothes?"

"I wanted to start something new," Serena answered.

"Hey, Serena, is this Bonnie?" Cameron turned to the little blonde girl standing beside two other blonde trainers. Obviously not a trainer, the little girl's wardrobe contained a brown short-sleeved top with a black bow on the neckline. She also had a small, orange Pokémon sleeping on the top of her head.

"Yeah." Serena also mentioned the other two blondes named were Korrina and Clemont. Korrina was the one standing beside a Lucario, wearing a red and white dress with matching fingerless gloves and a matching helmet. Her hair was tied into a long ponytail that emerged from the back of her helmet. As for Clemont, he was wearing his usual long glasses and a blue jumpsuit with a yellow collar. His smile was wide and his face was seen sweating. "That's Bonnie's older brother," Serena added.

"The guy looking nervous?"

The Kalos trainer just nodded and softly giggled. "He's a bit camera shy as you can see."

"Cute as Tenshi is, she can be a handful," the older brother responded. "Tenshi thinks she can do whatever she wants. She still believes you as my future bride-to-be."

Namaiki felt her entire face grew dangerously warm as she stood there motionless. Every nerve in her skin tensed up. "Bride-to-be?" Serena questioned.

"T-T-That's ridiculous," Namaiki responded.

"You can say that again," Cameron added. "No way in a million years I'll marry the likes of her." With his head turned to hide the blush marks on his cheek and the embarrassment, Cameron tried to change the awkward conversation.

"Must be a bad case of amnesia or something," Namaiki whispered with a hint of anger in her voice. Although she was talking under her breath, Namaiki was still loud enough for Cameron to hear her comment. "Do you have something you wanna say? Because I'm standing right here."

"Don't be mad at me. You're the one with a horrible memory."

"First off, if you have a problem, just say something. And secondly, I WAS ASKING SERENA A QUESTION, NOT YOU!"

"MY PROBLEM IS STANDING IN FRONT OF ME AND WHO ARE YOU GETTING SMART WITH?"

The argument was escalating quickly. Namaiki's rage meter was rising every second and Cameron's patience was running over. It was only a matter of time before they detonate. Serena had to defuse the angry Voltorb and fast. "Hold on, you two. There's no need to fight."

Both were still in their feelings and refused to hold back until the other one yield first. Instead, they faced away from one another in the opposite direction. Namaiki, still holding to the picture, noticed Serena leaning awfully close to the trainer right beside her. "Who's the dude with the Pikachu looking all cool and stuff?"

Redness covered Serena's cheeks. With a smile on her face, she placed a hand over the blue ribbon she was wearing. "His name is Ash Ketchum."

"Ash, huh? Ohh, this is the guy you told me about a few nights ago?"

Before Serena could elaborate, Tenshi ran to the trio's direction along with Plusle, Minun, and Mudkip. "You guys! More Pokémon," she pointed at the sky. Flying above their heads were two bird Pokémon – one was twice the size of the other – that almost resembled one another. Both had dark blue feathers and yellow beaks with red markings and white undersides. "I'd never seen Pokémon like those two before," Serena explained.

"That's a Taillow and a Swellow," Cameron said. Serena and Namaiki took out their Pokedex and scanned them both for information.

"Taillow, the Tiny Swallow Pokémon," Serena's Pokedex detailed. "Taillow has a fierce personality, refusing to back down from a fight, even against the most powerful opponents."

"Swellow, the Swallow Pokémon and the evolve form of Taillow," Namaiki's Pokedex detailed. "Swellow uses its impressive dive-bomber speed and its large talons to capture its prey."

Despite the resemblances, there were a huge difference between the two swallow Pokémon. Swallow was larger with a crest of feathers sweeping back from the top of its head while a blue stripe was separating the red markings on its head and chest. Swallow also had two long pointed feathers with red tips from its tail. Taillow had two sharply pointed feathers on its tail and no stripe to separate its red markings. Plus, it was also on the small size. "I never Pokémon like those two before," Serena proclaimed.

"Don't worry. You'll see Taillow and Swellow frequently throughout the region," Namaiki informed.

Meanwhile, Cameron was taking a few pictures of the Taillow and Swellow. It was his first time seeing a Pokémon with its evolved form in one place. His eyes were sparkling with excitement. "Never seen an entire Pokémon evolution line before," he said out loud.

Serena, Namaiki, and Tenshi hovered over the rookie photographer to examine the photo he took of the bird Pokémon. "Wow. Really great job," Serena commented.

"I know right? My big brother takes amazing pictures," Tenshi added.

"And you say he's a terrible photographer." Serena was pointing directly at Namaiki, who stood there blushing. The Kalos native covered her mouth for she just started another war between Namaiki and Cameron. It was too bad the latter heard every word.

He shot a glare at Namaiki who just turned her head, biting her bottom lip. "I'm a terrible photographer, huh?"

But before the war resumed, Plusle, Minun, and Mudkip sensed something heading toward their direction. The moment they turned their heads, the group was suddenly struck by a dark pulse. The sudden ambush left everybody in a cloud of dust. No one could see or breathe without coughing up smoke. "Where did that came from?" Serena took the words out of Namaiki's mouth.

"That's what I wanna know."

Cameron, on the other hand, was worried about his sister. "Tenshi, are you okay?"

"Yeah," the little sister coughed.

Once the air was cleared, two unfamiliar individuals wearing matching outfits appeared in front of the friends. Both were dressed in blue jeans, a green vase-like jacket, and wearing a cap that matched the jackets. A gold chain carrying a pendent of a strange-looking logo was hanging around their necks. Standing in front of the male was a quadruped Pokémon with grey and black fur. The Pokémon was also growling at the small group. "Who are you two?" Cameron ordered as Tenshi hid behind him, grabbing her hand for comfort.

But the duo ignored the question and simply smirked. The children had no idea what they were in for. "Excellent work, Mightyena."

"Arf!" Mightyena barked in return.

"Hmm. Not bad, Bell. As much as I hate to admit it, but your plan is actually working."

"Your praise is better than never."

"Wait, who are you guys?" Cameron asked before turning to the Pokémon growling across from them. "Who's that Pokémon?" Cameron took out her Pokedex.

"Mightyena, the Bite Pokémon. Mightyena moves primarily in packs, working together to capture their prey." Looking up more information about the Mightyena, Cameron discovered it's a Dark-type Pokémon. Since Mightyena is a Dark-type, it had to be the one that used Dark Pulse on them. "What do you want? Why did you attack us all of a sudden?" Serena asked, demanding answers.

Looking down at the two girls, Heather smirked before opening her mouth. "Well, we heard from a reliable source that you two are the reason a dear friend of ours was captured by Officer Jenny."

"A friend of yours?" Serena and Namaiki remembered their encounter with Dennis from a few days ago. They also memorized Officer Jenny and Jackson told them about him being part of a team of Pokémon Hunters who steal and sell Pokémon to the highest bidder. "You guys know Dennis?"

"Know him? We are all work together," Bell confirmed.

"The same Dennis who attacked my friends a couple of days ago? So, that means you're here to steal our Pokémon?" Cameron assumed since they were friends with Dennis, then they were here to cause nothing but trouble.

"The guy is not so clueless unlike his little girlfriends," Bell scuffed.

"What did you say?"

"We heard that!"

Heather was getting bored and arrogant from all the talking. She reached beside her belt and took out a poke ball, pressing the button to enlarge it to normal size. "Alright. This chit-chatting has gone far enough," she grunted. She threw her poke ball out, a Pokémon with sharp claws appeared beside Mightyena. It was primarily bluish-black with three red feathers on its tail and a single feather on its left ear. "It's time to get down to business, Sneasel."

"You heard her, Mightyena," Bell said to his partner.

"Sneasel, the Sharp Claw Pokémon," Cameron's Pokedex noted. "Sneasel are notoriously vicious in nature. They can extend or retract their claws instantly during an attack."

Serena released her Braixen to help. Of course, Plusle and Minun were going to battle alongside Namaiki. As for Cameron, this would be his first-ever Pokémon Battle since becoming a trainer the other day. Mudkip was equally excited to be battling alongside its new trainer. "Alright, Mudkip. This is our first battle together, so let's work together," Cameron suggested.

"Mudkip."

"Tenshi, you stay back in case things get dangerous."

"Okay. Good luck to all of you, especially to you, big brother."

"Sneasel, use Icy Wind," Heather commanded. Sneasel blew a beam of wind with sparkling blue snow at its opponents from its mouth. The four Pokémon found themselves in a slight blizzard and they could hardly see a thing. It gave Bell the chance to command a Bite attack from Mightyena. The Bite Pokémon charged at the small group with his mouth open, creating a white aura in the shape of a set of teeth.

"Dodge it!" Serena, Namaiki, and Cameron commanded. Their Pokémon instantly jumped out of Mightyena's path, avoiding its Bite. So far so good. Time for a counter attack.

"Mudkip, Water Gun."

"Mud. MUUUDKIIIIP!" Mudkip opened its mouth and sprayed a spiral of water over Sneasel and Mightyena. However, they didn't seem to be bothered by the Water Gun. The two just dried themselves off like they finished taking a bath.

"Are you battling with us or rinsing our Pokémon?" Bell taunted before demanding a Hidden Power. Mightyena separated its jaws and fired a light blue ball of energy at Mudkip. Cameron didn't have the time to counter. So, the orb made a direct hit.

"Oh no! Mudkip!" Tenshi cried out. But her brother warned her to not interfere. Cameron went down to check on his partner. "Mudkip, are you alright?"

"Mud…kip."

"Sneasel, Fury Swipe."

Heather's Sneasel sprinted forward as its claws were glowing white as they grew several inches. "Braixen, use Scratch."

"Braixen." Braixen charged after Sneasel until her Scratch and Sneasel's claws made direct contact, but both attacks canceled each other out. The two Pokémon launched one another back in their corners.

While the battle was going on, Namaiki was standing there doing nothing. Not anymore. "Plusle, Minun, Discharge," she commanded.

Both the Cheering Pokémon released multiple bolts of electricity from their bodies at Sneasel and Mightyena. Serena joined in by commanding a Flamethrower. Braixen pulled out her branch and shoot a reddish-orange stream of fire from the tip. But Bell and Heather weren't going down like that. They both ordered their Pokémon to use a Dark Pulse. A purple orb of black and purple circles was aimed to counter. The attacks collided and exploded, covering the entire area in a cloud of smoke.

Unfortunately, the blast received some unwanted attention. The smoke cleared to expose the swarm of angry Beedrill. "Beedrill!" Serena shouted.

"We must be battling on their territory the entire time," Cameron suggested.

"RUN FOR IT!"

Everybody – trainers and Pokémon – scrammed out of there while the Beedrill were chasing after them. The humans and their Pokémon didn't care where they were going either. They were concern about getting away.

* * *

Namaiki and Braixen had to stop for a second to catch their breath. All that running left them exhausting. "I think we lost the Beedrill?" Namaiki breathed. "Are you alright, Braixen?"

"Braixen," the Fox Pokémon affirmed.

They looked around and noticed everyone else was not with them. "Plusle! Minun!"

"Braixen!"

Namaiki and Braixen found themselves separated from the others thanks to that swarm of angry Beedrill. To make things even worst, they had no idea where they were. "This isn't good. This is not good at all."

Of course, Braixen was concern for her friends and Namaiki knew it hands down. Besides her partners, her biggest concern was Tenshi. Namaiki always viewed Tenshi as her little sister. She was just a little girl and there was no telling what kind of danger she might be in if Cameron (or anyone) wasn't around to protect her. "Braixen," the Fox Pokémon voicing her concern.

"I know, Braixen. I'm worried about everyone too." Namaiki scanned the unfamiliar environment once again, trying to find a way out of the forest. But all she could find were trees that could carry on for miles. However, she wasn't going to let that get in the way of finding her friends. "I may not know a way out of this forest…," she started off saying. "…but we're not gonna find everyone by standing here. Come on."

"Braixen."

Namaiki sprung forward and suddenly felt something sticking on her head. "AH! GET IT OFF ME! GET IT OFF ME!" In a fit of panic, Namaiki flailed her arms around, trying to grab anything that appeared to be on her face before grabbing something really sticky. "What in the…what is this stuff? Huh?"

Brushing the sticky substance from her body, something green dropped down right in front of Namaiki. Hanging from a white string from its abdomen, the green Pokémon had six yellow legs and a greenish-black stripe underneath two color-matched spots on its abdomen resembling a face. And speaking of face, it appeared the Pokémon looked furious. "SPIIIIINN!"

"AAAHHHHHH!"

Namaiki stumbled backward, frightening at what the angry Spinarak might do to her. Braixen jumped in front of the long-haired trainer with her branch out that was already burning a small flame from the top, ready to defend her friend. "What does it want?" Namaiki asked, still quite scared. "Stay away!"

"Braixen," Braixen warned the Spinarak using the small flame burning from the tip of her branch as a clear message. But Spinarak refused to back down. In fact, it took another step forward closer to the human that ruined its web.

Namaiki had never seen a Pokémon like that before. So, she scanned the Pokémon using the Pokedex. "Spinarak, the String Spit Pokémon. Spinarak can climb any service easily and shoot a strong web from both its front and back of its body. Its prey is caught and held tight in its web."

In other words, Namaiki knocked down Spinarak's web while it was trying to catch food. She attempted to apologize, but the String Spit Pokémon was not in the mood to listen. The furious Spinarak shot a white string from its mouth directly at the trainer, but Braixen intercepted the string shot attack using her flamethrower. Before things escalated even further, a trainer seemingly fell from the sky and landing perfectly on his feet. The sleeveless shirt he was wearing matched the appearance of the Spinarak follow by a pair of grey sweatpants, dark blue sneakers, and he had light brown hair.

Spinarak seemed to know the trainer by the way it climbed on his right shoulder. "Are you alright, Spinarak?" He asked.

Spinarak replied with a yes while firing another glance look at Namaiki. "Excuse me, but did you just jump twenty feet from a tree?" Namaiki was flabbergasted.

"Actually, it was somewhere around twenty-five feet, but yeah," Anthony answered with a soft chuckle. "That sticky stuff you ran into was Spinarak's spider web. Clearly, Spinarak was angry when you destroyed it."

Speaking of which, Namaiki felt some more inside her hair. "Yeah. My Pokedex confirmed that for me. Sorry about that by the way, Spinarak. I really didn't mean to knock it down."

"Come on, Spinarak. She didn't mean to destroy your web. It was an accident," Anthony persuaded. Spinarak eventually nodded its head, finally forgiving the female. "Don't worry. It's all good."

"Anyway, I'm Namaiki and this is Braixen."

"Braixen."

"Nice to meet you. My name's Anthony and this is my partner, Spinarak."

"Spinarak."

"So, what brings you into the forest?" Anthony asked. "You must be trying to catch some wild Pokémon."

"Uhh...I wish that was the case," Namaiki explained. "My friends and I were attacked by some team until we were all ambushed by a swarm of angry Beedrill." Namaiki finished by explaining she and Braixen were lost after being separated and they were trying to find their friends. While Namaiki was explaining her situation, Anthony stood in front of her listening to every word that came out of her mouth while petting Spinarak. "What about you? What are you doing in the middle of the forest?"

"No actual reason once so every," Anthony explained with a slight chuckle. "I just love the forest and I enjoy climbing trees."

Namaiki suspected much since she witnessed him jumping thirty feet at least. She was surprised the landing didn't break his ankles, but Namaiki was more concerned for her friends, especially Tenshi. Every second that passed by, the chances of the little girl being in harm's way increased. "I wish Beauti was here," she muffled enough for Anthony to hear her.

"Beauti?"

"My mom's Beautifly. I call her Beauti for short," she explained. "If she was here, I could search every from high ground."

"High ground? Well, why didn't you say so?" Placing his left thumb and left pinky finger in his mouth, Anthony produced a whistling sound. There was a pause for a few seconds and right before Namaiki opened her mouth to comment, a Pokémon flew from out of the branches flying past by the girl and landing on top of Anthony's head.

The Pokémon was dark green with six black legs and a long tail. The tail had four oval wings on the end and red spots on each of its segments. Both of its eyes are large and red with black lines that made a sideways "T" shape on them. The eyes resembled the lenses to Anthony's sunglasses that were hanging from his collar. According to the Pokedex, the name is Yanmega. "Yanmega, the Ogre Darner Pokémon," Namaiki's Pokedex explained. "When it flutters its wings, it creates a shockwave that can cause internal damage to its opponents."

"The lenses on your glasses match its eyes," Namaiki commented after noticing the sunglasses on top of Anthony's heads.

"You noticed," Anthony pulled his glasses out and placed them back on his face. With a bright smile on his face, he asked, "You like?" But Namaiki refused to give a straight answer. Plus, she was more worried about her friends who were – again – scattered around the forest like wild Pokémon.

"Can Yanmega help me with finding my friends?"

"Sure. Do you have a picture to show Yanmega? He needs to know who your friends look like." Namaiki took out a small photo from her bag and handed it to the weird, nature-loving trainer.

Cameron took a picture of everybody back at Littleroot Town a few days ago and made multiple copies for everyone involved. Excluding Professor Birch and Joshua, Namaiki pointed to Cameron, Serena, and Tenshi holding Mudkip. They were nowhere to be found including Mudkip. She also mentioned her partner's Plusle and Minun on her shoulders in the picture, thus bringing their search party to a total of six. Two trainers, one trainer-to-be, and three Pokémon were somewhere in the forest. "Yanmega, are you paying attention to where Namaiki is pointing?" Anthony asked his Pokémon on top of his head.

Yanmega nodded in confirmation. After scamming the photo, he took to the skies. Anthony and Namaiki followed the Ogre Darner Pokémon with Braixen and Spinarak. "Does this mean you don't like my sunglasses?"

* * *

_**And that wraps up another chapter. You know what to do: leave a review and I'll see you all next time. Stay tuned.**_


	8. Chapter 8: Lost in the Forest

Performing in Hoenn

_**Welcome back. The last time we saw the group, they were in the middle of a little problem. Okay, a big problem. Everybody got separated and Namaiki met Anthony who offered his assistance in finding her friends. Let's see how things will go from here.**_

Chapter 8: Lost in the Forest

Tenshi couldn't decide whether or not she passed that large rock already. It looked similar to the rocks she walked by five times. Given the fact that she was stumbling around a forest, everything looked similar to the little girl. Clinging Mudkip in her arms, a frightened Tenshi called out for her brother. "Cameron. Where are you?" she cried. "Namaiki. Serena. Where is everybody?" Tenshi had been looking around and walking for what seemed like hours. "I'm scared, Mudkip. I don't see anyone."

"Mudkip," her brother's first Pokémon agreed. Mudkip was having a hard time finding its trainer too. The Mud Fish Pokémon looked up to Tenshi after sensing a couple of drops on the top of its head. At first, it thought the weather was changing, but it was actually Tenshi crying. "Mudkip Mud."

"I want my brother," Tenshi cried with more tears running down her eyes. Mudkip rubbed its head on Tenshi in an attempt to comfort the young girl, and with a huge smile on its face, Tenshi stopped crying seeing that Mudkip was letting her know everything would be alright. Smiling back at the starter Pokémon, she rubbed her eyes and the tears off her face.

"You're right," Tenshi responded. "And besides, I might end up lost when I become a trainer one day."

"Mud."

"Now, let's go find Cameron and the others."

"Mudkip!"

"You're alright, little one?" Heather and her Sneasel appeared from behind a tree. They stood several feet across from the tiny girl. "You seemed to be lost. Did you get separated from your friends?" Heather and Sneasel walked toward her with a devious smile on their faces. At that moment, a Taillow appeared from behind the small human, ready to strike if she made any attempt to run away. Tenshi hadn't forgotten Heather ambushed her brother and friends. Knowing that Tenshi was afraid and slowly backed away, but Mudkip jumped out of Tenshi's arms and stood tall on the floor. Mudkip was new to battling, but it wasn't about to let anything happen to its trainer's sister.

Heather just laughed and continued to walk closer. "How cute. Acting like the kid's bodyguard," she taunted. "A Pokémon as puny as you can't even protect yourself."

Her Sneasel mocked as its nail started to grow a few inches. But Mudkip paid them no mind and stood its ground. "Still playing tough? Then my partner will just have to teach you a thing or two." The tip of Sneasel's claws glowed white as the Pokémon stepped closer toward its enemies until a flamethrower out of nowhere separated the bad guys from Tenshi and Mudkip. "Huh? Where did that come from?" Heather asked.

"TENSHI!"

The little girl saw Namaiki, Anthony, and Braixen came running to her aid. "Big sis, you found me," Tenshi replied with a smile.

"I'm so glad you're safe," Namaiki replied. "And I see we found you at the right time too."

"I was wondering when you would show up," Heather stated. "I knew that threatening to harm your little friend would get you out of hiding."

Angry was an understatement compared to the emotion Namaiki felt. Braixen stood next to Mudkip with her branch in hand that was burning fire from the tip. "Namaiki, who is the guy?" Tenshi asked.

"This is Anthony. I ran into him and he offered to help me find you guys," Namaiki explained. She was thankful for Anthony's assistance, and by the look of things, they found Tenshi at the perfect time. Heather and her Sneasel were not going anywhere. "Speaking of guys, I noticed this chick's friend isn't with her."

Tenshi was growing anxious concerning her brother's safety. "I hope my brother is okay."

It was sweet how much Tenshi cared for her brother. "Don't worry, Tenshi. I'm sure your brother is doing just fine." Namaiki then thought of an idea. It was a stretch, but it just might work. Reaching into her left side pocket on her bag, she took out a bracelet with pink and dark brown beads. "This should let him know we need help. Anthony, can Yanmega still go searching for Cameron and Serena, right?"

"Sure. I still have Spinarak to battle," Anthony answered. Yanmega took another look at Namaiki's picture.

"Give this to Cameron once you see him. He'll know what it means," she told the Ogre Darner Pokémon.

"Spinarak, string shot," Anthony commanded. Spinarak shot a white string from its mouth and blinded Taillow.

"LOW! LOW! LOW!" Taillow flared its wings over its head, flying around all over the place in an attempt to regain its eyesight. Carrying the bead bracelet using its fangs, Yanmega flew past the Tiny Swallow Pokémon. Taillow managed to take off the sticky substance around its head and could see just fine, but Yanmega was already gone. Even if Yanmega located Serena and Cameron's whereabouts and couldn't return, it wouldn't matter, given the advantage Namaiki, Anthony, and Tenshi had compared to Heather.

"Are you kids done stalling? Me and Sneasel are ready to fight," Heather fired.

"Sneasel!"

"The question is are _you_ ready?" Anthony fired back. "The way I'm looking at it, you're all alone."

"And with your four-eyed boyfriend somewhere, there's three of us and only one of you," Namaiki added.

Heather just smirked and produced a small chuckle. "That's what you think. Taillow, echoed voice."

"Taillow." Her Taillow flew to the sky before opening its mouth as wide as it could. "TAILOOOOOOOOWW!" The flying-type released multiple sound waves that echoed across the forest. The small group was almost blown away by the effect. Mudkip was nearly taken until Braixen grabbed its tail fin. The sound waves disappeared after a few extra moments until there was dead silence.

Namaiki wanted to laugh or make a smart remark. But before she opened her mouth, an entire swarm of angry Taillow was surrounding the group. She held a terrifying Tenshi closer in her arms. Anthony was looking around the swarm trying to think of a plan. But he was quite frightened as well.

Heather smiled evilly and brushed her long blonde hair. "Guess I'm not all alone after all."

* * *

"At least we got away from those Beedrill," Serena panted. Cameron, Plusle, and Minun were right beside her while attempting to catch their breath. Looking over her shoulder, Serena couldn't find Namaiki or Tenshi anywhere. "Hey, where's Namaiki? And Tenshi?"

Hearing his sister's whereabouts was unknown sparked worry in Cameron. Cameron scanned the area, but couldn't find his little sister anywhere. "Tenshi? Tenshi!?"

Plusle and Minun also noticed their trainer was nowhere to be found. "Plus."

"Min."

The duo called out to Namaiki with no success. After that angry Beedrill swarm ambushed the group, everybody scattered all over the forest. But Serena noticed Namaiki and Tenshi weren't the only ones missing. "Braixen's not here too," she said. "Braixen!"

"Where are you, little sis?"

What a predicament Serena and Cameron found themselves. Not only they were separated from their friends, but the two were lost as well, and there was no telling how long the forest carried. Serena and Cameron could end up in the next town if they weren't careful. The thought of Tenshi being by herself frightened Cameron.

The male photographer was taken by surprise when he felt a hand on his left shoulder. Only to find Serena standing behind him with a smile on her face. "It's gonna be alright," she said. "We'll find Tenshi and the others. Everything will be fine."

Plusle and Minun comforted Cameron as well, but none of the cheering and comfort appeared to be working. "I hope so," he voiced in concern. "My little sister is somewhere lost and that team is after us."

Cameron did have a point. Serena thought maybe they retreated following the Beedrill swarm, but she doubted that for some reason. Whoever those guys were, they seemed dangerous already. They admitted to working with the Pokémon Hunter Dennis and ambushed the group out of nowhere, but Serena and Cameron could figure all that out later. They had to find Namaiki, Tenshi, and Braixen and regroup. "Hey, Serena," Cameron called out. "What do you know about that hunter who attacked you and Namaiki?"

"Huh?"

"I mean you two already told me. I guess my question is: do you have any idea why that Dennis guy tried to steal your Pokémon?"

"Umm…I'm not really sure. Dennis is a Pokémon Hunter, so I just assumed he just wanted to steal our Pokémon and sell them," Serena responded. But that was a good question. After Cameron brought up the subject, Serena started to wonder was the encounter just a random attack or if Dennis targeted her and Namaiki specifically?

_**BOOM!**_

"What was that?" Serena shrieked. Following a sudden explosion, Serena and Cameron noticed a cloud of dark smoke from a distance. "You think it's those two who attacked us?" she suggested.

"I don't know. Probably. Serena, look at that."

Pointing at the exact location of that explosion, Cameron spotted a flamethrower shooting upward at the sky. "Your Braixen is a Fire-type, right?"

"You think Braixen is up there?" Cameron's suggestion was a long stretch but maybe he was right. Only one way to find out exactly. "Let's go check it out."

"I'm right with you, Serena."

_**BOOM!**_

Another sudden dark pulse blindsided the two trainers. Left in a cloud of smoke again, Serena and Cameron couldn't see anything. The former called out Sylveon and commanded Fairy Wind. The intertwining Pokémon pulled its feelers together only to spread them wide open, sending out a strong gust of sparkling wind to rid the smoke. A Mightyena jumped through the small smoke and attempted to pounce on Sylveon with a Bite attack. Luckily, she used her feelers to dodged the attack in a split second. "Are you okay, Sylveon?" Serena asked.

"Eon eon," Sylveon answered.

Mightyena stood high on its legs looking down at Sylveon. All while growling at its enemy while its trainer was hovering over the Bite Pokémon. "You're the one who attacked us earlier," Serena proclaimed.

Bell didn't respond right away. Instead, he snickered evilly at the two trainers before him with the electric tablet in his hand. "You two wasn't about to leave me, right?" Bell mocked.

"What do you want from us? Why are you guys attacking us?" Cameron questioned.

Bell's demeanor changed from mocking to cold-heartedly. "Your girlfriends defeated my colleague and I demand answers," he shot. "And if you punks won't talk willingly, then I'll just have to beat it out of you instead. Mightyena, let's do it."

"Arf," Mightyena affirmed.

"Not if we have anything to say about it. Mudkip, use…" It only took Cameron a moment to realized Mudkip was lost in the forest. "That's right. I don't know what happened to Mudkip"

Bell laughed out loud at Cameron. "You lost your own Pokémon? And you call yourself a Pokémon trainer?" he mocked. "Taking you kids down is gonna be easier than I thought. Mightyena, use bite."

Mightyena opened its mouth wide open and created a white aura in the shape of sharp fangs before Mightyena charged after the Fairy-type Pokémon. "I still have my Pokémon," Serena stepped in. "Sylveon, use protect."

"Eon." Sylveon spread her feelers and a bluish-green force field appeared in front of her. Due to the disadvantage, Mightyena's Bite attack faded once both moves made contact. "Nice job, Sylveon. Now use Swift." Sylveon jumped in the air and swished her tail, releasing multiple yellow stars with golden sparkles at her opponent.

"Double Team," Bell commanded. Mightyena glowed white as multiples copies appeared and surrounded the Fairy-type. As a result, Swift targeted one of the fake copies. Sylveon was having a problem telling the real Mightyena from the fake copies. Looking down at the trainers before him, Bell chuckled with an evil grin on his face. "Tackle," he commanded sticking his left index finger out to point at Sylveon. Mightyena and all its copies charged and slammed their bodies against Sylveon.

"Sylveon, hang in there!"

"Don't give up!"

"Plus!"

"Min!"

Serena, Cameron, Plusle, and Minun were all rooting for Sylveon to stay strong. Despite giving it everything she got, the Intertwining Pokémon was struggling to stand on her feet. Although there was only one Mightyena, Sylveon felt like she was being attacked by a whole swarm. She was slowly getting covered in scratches. From her slender legs to feelers, bruises were showing. Mightyena and its copies were not showing any mercy.

In the meantime, Bell was enjoying every moment of the battle. "What's the matter? Your Sylveon is not giving up, is it?" He mockingly asked. Eventually, he decided that was enough and commanded Mightyena to stand down. All the copies disappeared and the real Mightyena appeared across from the exhausted Sylveon.

"Don't listen to him, Sylveon! I know you can still take him down!" Serena cheered. Sylveon was injured but refused to back down. She brushed herself off using her feelers and stood tall on her four legs. "Yes! Now use Swift." But before Sylveon produced another Swift attack, she was hit with a light blue aura unexpectedly. "SYLVEON!"

Sylveon was knocked on her back. Suddenly, an unknown Flying-type Pokémon came flying down surrounded by red fire. Sylveon only had a little time to avoid another collision. With the little strength she had left, Sylveon jumped out the way and right on time too. The Flying-type missed its target and flew to the sky. Serena didn't know what was going on or who was that Pokémon. The only thing she did knew was the move: Brave Bird."

"EON!"

"SYLVEON!"

While Serena and Sylveon were distracted, Bell ordered Mightyena to use a dark pulse. Without warning, a combination of black and purple circles made a direct hit on Sylveon. "EOOOOONN!"

Serena ran to her Pokémon, but Sylveon was unable to continue battling. Cameron, Plusle, and Minun ran up to their friends. "Serena! Is Sylveon okay?" Cameron asked in fear.

Serena shook her head while holding onto her unconscious Pokémon. "Sylveon can't battle anymore." After returning Sylveon in her poke ball, Serena turned to Bell. "That was not fair."

"She's right," Cameron added. "You set up that surprised attack."

"Me? Why I don't know what you mean," Bell replied in a sarcastic tone.

Things were getting out of hand. If only Cameron had Mudkip with him by his side. Although Cameron received Mudkip and officially became a trainer the other day, they could at least offer some support. He noticed Plusle and Minun tugging on the bottom of his pants. They wanted to help Serena and battle. Cameron never battled before and he didn't know what moves Plusle and Minun could use, but it was better than standing on the sides doing nothing. "You're right. Let's do this, you guys," Cameron said at the duo. Plusle and Minun charged upfront and they were ready to battle. "Use Discharge."

"PLUUUUSS!"

"MIIIINN!"

Plusle and Minun released multiple bolts of electricity from their bodies and aimed at Mightyena. The Bite Pokémon moved out of the way, missing the discharged attack. Bell just smiled in delight. "Is that the best you got? Double Team."

Mightyena surrounded the electric duo with multiple copies of itself. Plusle and Minun were waiting for Cameron to give them a command. Meanwhile, they were scanning each copy to figure out which was the real Mightyena, but Cameron had a hunch Bell would command another double team again. "Now use spark," he ordered.

"Plus!"

"Min!"

Plusle and Minun didn't attack right away, but electricity was sparking from their cheeks and tails. With their eyes closed, they attempted to sense the real Mightyena. Bell considered it the Pokémon were giving up since they hadn't attacked. "They must have given up already," he noted. "Let's finished this. Dark Pulse."

Before Mightyena opened its mouth, both Plusle and Minun released multiple bolts of electricity from their bodies. The attack was large enough to shock all the copies. The Double Team disappeared until one electrocuted Mightyena was standing. After being electrocuted, Mightyena still had bits of electricity sticking on its fur. For once since the battle started, Bell was finally on the losing end. "YES! Way to go, Plusle and Minun," Cameron cheered.

Plusle and Minun joined hand in hand and spun around filled with excitement. In the meantime, Mightyena shook off the rest of the electricity, which meant Bell had no reason to hold back any further. "Don't celebrate just yet. This battle isn't over," he fired.

After a long search through the forest, Yanmega managed to found Serena and Cameron. While they weren't paying attention, Yanmega landed on the top of Cameron's head. "Hey! Did something land on my head?" he asked Serena.

"A Pokémon," Serena answered. Yanmega tilted its head forward to look at Cameron in the eyes. Cameron had seen a Yanmega before but never met anyone who trained one. So, he couldn't tell if that specific Yanmega was wild or it had a trainer. However, Cameron noticed the Yanmega was carrying something small and familiar in its fangs that caught his attention.

"Wait a minute." Yanmega separated its fangs until whatever it was carrying landed in Cameron's left hand. It was a bracelet with pink and dark brown beads tied together by a single knot from a thin black elastic cord. Confirming his answers were two square white beads that had "C" and "N" on either one of them. "Namaiki," he whispered.

"Huh?"

"It's Namaiki. She must be in trouble. We gotta go. NOW!"

Another light blue aura struck in front of their feet. The same Swellow with the odd-looking collar around its neck appeared beside Bell. Meanwhile, Mightyena shook off the rest of the electricity that was still flowing through its body. "Don't think our battle is over," Bell fired.

But Serena and Cameron didn't have time for any more foolishness from that guy. Plusle and Minun knew this before running off releasing another round of electricity at Bell and his Pokémon. Being highly vulnerable to electric-types, Swellow wasn't sticking around. The bolts struck Bell and Mightyena's feet long enough for Serena, Cameron, and their Pokémon to make their break.

Once Bell lifted his head, the trainers had already disappeared.

* * *

_**My apologies for cutting things short, but school is back in session for me a few weeks ago. But leave a review and I'll be back with the next chapter. This wild chase of cat-and-mouse is about to come to a conclusion. Until then, stay tuned.**_


	9. Chapter 9: A Toxic Retreat

Performing in Hoenn

_**And we're back. Things are still between Serena and the Hoenn gang, but can they find a way out of this mess? Only one way to find you. I hope you guys have a good read.**_

Chapter 9: A Toxic Retreat

"It's gonna be alright, Tenshi. Please calm down."

"I want my brother." Namaiki tried to comfort Tenshi in her arms, but nothing seemed to calm the small child down. Tenshi buried her head against Namaiki's neck while holding onto her tightly, and not wanting to let go. Tears were running down her face like a Squirtle on a rainy night.

"TAILLOW! TAILLOW! TAILLOW! TAILLOW!" the dozens of Taillow screamed.

Heather smiled deviously at the small group. She endured making her enemies cringle in fear. "Wing Attack," she commanded.

"TAILLOOOOOWW!" Heather's Taillow screeched. It swooped down at Braixen with its wings glowing white, but Braixen used the flame on her branch to counter. However, Braixen failed to remember about the swarm of Taillow surrounding her, in which one of the members came from behind and struck Braxien with a Wing Attack.

"Braixen!" the Fox Pokémon cried in pain. Braixen stumbled a few feet, but picked herself back up slow enough for another Taillow to use a Wing Attack and knock her branch from her hand. "BRAIX!"

"Hehe. That's right, Taillow. Teach these kids a lesson they will never forget."

"TAILLOOOOOOOOWWW!" Taillow screeched to the entire swarm around him and every single one of their wings glowed white. They swooped down with the intention to not only attack the Pokémon, but the trainers as well. Namaiki and Anthony threw their bodies over Tenshi like a shield ready to withstand any blow that was coming the little girl's way.

Heather stood on the sidelines laughing maniacally. "Haha. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HUH?"

Powerful bolts of yellow electricity suddenly shocked every single Taillow including the one under Heather's care. Heather's Taillow fell to the ground, unable to battle since it was a Flying-type. As for the rest, they made a hasty retreat back into the wilderness. Just when Namaiki was about to ask where the attack came from, her question was answered. "Tenshi!"

Running towards her was Serena, Cameron, Plusle and Minun. "It's Cameron," Namaiki gasped.

"Big…big brother. You found me. You really came." Tenshi ran to Cameron to give him the biggest hug ever. Her tears changed from bitter to delight being reunited with her brother. "I thought something bad happened to you," she thought out loud.

Cameron held Tenshi in his arms. "When I have a little sister to rescue? No way anything is going to happen to me."

In the middle of the brother-sister reunion, Plusle and Minun were reunited with their pink-headed trainer. After the duo jumped in her arms, Namaiki held them close to her face. "I'm so glad you both are okay," she said. "Wait a minute, are you two responsible for scaring those Taillow?" They both confirmed with smiles and nods.

Namaiki giggled at her partners, but she was grateful for the save. Speaking of Pokémon, Serena noticed Braixen sustained some injuries but she seemed to be okay. "Braixen," she signed. "Thank goodness I found you. Are you okay?" Serena asked her partner.

"Braixen Braix," the Fire-type confirmed, picking her branch off the floor.

Yanmega landed on Anthony's arm right across from Spinarak. "Excellent job, Yanmega."

Heather annoyingly returned Taillow back in its Poke ball. With the kids and their Pokémon reunited, she needed Bell. Heather only had her Sneasel to battle with since Taillow defeated. "So, are you ready to give up?" Namaiki shot at Heather.

"Hope I didn't keep everyone waiting." That voice was coming from behind. Swellow was flying toward the group while its trainer was holding onto one of its red claws. The male dropped to the ground once he built enough distance from him and the kids. Serena, her friends, and their Pokémon were surrounded. "Okay, no more playing games," Bell said.

"Nice of you to finally join us," Heather said sarcastically. "Where have you been? They've already defeated my Taillow."

"Forget about it. Let's just end this mess once and for all. Swellow, use Gust." Swellow flapped its wings at high speed and created a strong gust of wind at the group. A smirk crept on Heather's face seeing Bell was signaling to her. "Now, Sneasel, use Icy Wind."

Sneasel blew a beam of wind from its mouth at the group in front of it. Between the Icy Wind and Swellow's Gust, Heather and Bell were giving Serena and her friends the cold shoulder.

"We gotta do something before we all freeze to death," Namaiki yelled.

Cameron was trying to keep his sister warm from the Icy Wind, but the effect of Gust wasn't making it easy. "No kidding," he said. "But what can we do?"

"First, we have to take down that Sneasel," Anthony said. He scanned his surroundings at the Pokémon, figuring out who had the best advantage over Sneasel. Beside himself, Serena appeared to be the only person who knew how to battle. Anthony's Spinarak and Yanmega were at a disadvantage due to them being Bug-types while Sneasel is part Ice-type. Cameron and his Mudkip lacked experience. Namaiki seemed inexperienced herself. According to Namaiki, Serena was from another region. Namaiki mentioned Serena finished a journey. That's it.

"Serena, have Braixen use Flamethrower," Anthony suggested.

"Huh? Oh. I get it. Braixen, Flamethrower."

Braixen heard her trainer's command and nodded. With her branch in hand, Braixen formed a flame from the tip before releasing it. "Braixen. BRAIIIXEEENN!" The stream of flame melted the Icy Wind with its intense heat before heading directly at Sneasel. At that moment, Sneasel was panicking.

"Don't just stand there. Dodge it," Heather demanded. Sneasel avoided the flamethrower in the nick of time, at the cost of providing an open for a counter. Releasing her Pancham from his Poke ball, Serena commanded him to use Dark Pulse. Pancham created a ball of black and purple circles in his hands, firing the circles at Sneasel. "PANCHAM!"

"Dark Pulse," Heather ordered.

"SNEASEL!" Both Dark Pulses collided and erupt the area with a loud burst, covering the area in smoke temporarily. Giving her track record when it came to Pokémon battling, Namaiki decided to leave it up to Serena. The long-haired girl would stick to protect Tenshi out of harm's way. Since Serena was going to battle Heather and Namaiki watched over Tenshi, it was up to Cameron and Anthony to handle Bell.

Mudkip is a Water-type Pokémon and Swellow is part Normal and Flying, but Cameron and Mudkip were inexperienced and Anthony's Pokémon being Bug-types, it was obvious Bell had the upper hand. However, there was a move that only Spinarak and its evolved form could use that might come in handy, although Anthony had no idea how helpful it might be. "Ready, Cameron?"

"Yeah. Me and Mudkip might be still new at Pokémon battles, but nobody will get away with endangering my sister."

"We'll see about that. Mightyena, use Bite," Bell commanded.

Mightyena sprinted forward with its mouth wide open, forming a white aura shaped like a pair of teeth. Mudkip and Spinarak jumped out of the way before the jaws clamped on them, but Swellow was ordered to use Brave Bird. The Swallow Pokémon dive down like a missile with its wings folded as its body burst into flames. The flames turned into a blue aura and headed straight for Mudkip. Before Swellow could deliver the final blow, Yanmega swooped in and saved Mudkip. "Thanks for the save, man," Cameron said to Anthony.

"Thank Yanmega." After slamming into the ground, Anthony noticed Swellow's body was covered in light blue sparks. "Brave Bird is extremely powerful, but it also paralyzes the user. So, we have a little opportunity on our hands to counter-attack," Anthony explained. "Now, Spinarak. Pin Missile."

"Let's help out too, Mudkip, and use Water Gun," Cameron commanded.

Mudkip opened its mouth and released a spiral of water. Spinarak separated its red mandibles and fired multiple, small white needles. Both attacks were heading toward the stunned Swellow. However, a turquoise force field appeared in front of Swellow before any of the two attacks could land a mark. "You didn't forget about my Mightyena, have you?" Bell proclaimed. At the same time, Swellow shook off the remaining sparks around its body.

"No, we haven't. Yanmega, Air Slash." Yanmega's wings glowed white before flapping them. They sent out a couple of white disc-like energy blades at Swellow.

"Your Yanmega is not the only one who can use that move. Swellow, Air Slash." Swellow's wings glowed light blue before they flapped and sending out multiple light blue disc-like energy blades. Both Air Slashes destroyed the other in a thin cloud of smoke, but more light blue energy blades penetrated through the smoke and targeted Yanmega.

"Yanmega!" After Yanmega fell to the ground, several light blue energy blades landed in front of Mudkip and Spinarak. The Pokémon were blinded by the sand, unable to notice Mightyena pouncing on them with a Bite attack. "Oh no, Spinarak!"

"Mudkip!"

Although injured, Spinarak and Mudkip fought the urge to continue. "Have to be smarter than that to defeat me," Bell laughed.

"Sneasel, Fury Swipes," Heather commanded. Sneasel's claws glowed white while Sneasel sprinted toward Braixen.

"Braixen, use Scratch." Tugging her branch back into her tail, Braixen met Sneasel halfway and processed her Scratch attack as an encounter to Sneasel's Fury Swipes. Neither Pokémon showed any signs giving up. Meanwhile, Namaiki was standing on the side debating whether or not help Serena. The reason Namaiki was doing nothing because Serena was more experienced when it came to Pokémon battles. Plusle and Minun started pulling on Namaiki's pants leg to get her attention.

"Huh? You guys want to battle too?" Namaiki hadn't forgotten about their last two battles which didn't end well in their favor. Witnessing the battle, Heather commanded Sneasel another Icy Wind. Sneasel opened its mouth and blew another beam of wind with sparkling blue snow at Braixen.

"Braixen, Flamethrower," Serena ordered.

"Braixen. Braaaixeen!" Instead of using her branch, Braixen released her red-orange flame from her mouth. The Flamethrower and the Icy Wind collided halfway and exploded.

"Dark Pulse!" Heather growled.

"Pancham, you use Dark Pulse as well."

Both Pancham and Sneasel fired beams of black and purple circles at one another. Both Dark Pulses collided with each other only to explode like the last time. The area was covered in a slight thick smoke. Unknown to Braixen and Pancham, Sneasel ran through the smoke cloud with its claws glowing white. Braixen and Pancham were taken by surprise. They didn't even have time to react. Serena ordered her Pokémon to dodge, but Sneasel had already slashed them both multiple times using its claws.

"Oh no! Braixen! Pancham!" Serena cried. That was enough to convince Namaiki to join in the battle. Seeing the pleading in her partners' eyes, the rookie coordinator nodded to Plusle and Minun. Meanwhile, Heather commanded Sneasel to use another Icy Wind, but that attack was different from before. Holding its hands over its head, Sneasel formed a ball of Icy Wind. Before Sneasel could release the attack, Plusle and Minun intercepted by releasing powerful bolts of electricity from their bodies and destroying the Icy Wind ball.

"Huh?" Heather voiced out.

"Don't forget about us. We're in this fight too," Namaiki proclaimed. Plusle and Minun's cheeks were releasing electricity as they stood tall in front of Braixen. Both of Namaiki's Pokémon were ready to battle. "What do you say, Kalos? Shall we let this witch know who she's messing with?"

"You bet," Serena smiled and nodded.

"You kids are an annoying bunch," Heather growled before demanding yet another Icy Wind. Sneasel formed another ball of ice over its head and threw it at Braixen and Pancham. Serena's Pokémon were ready, but so were Plusle and Minun.

"Alright, Plusle and Minun. Use Discharge," Namaiki proclaimed. As the chunk of ice grew closer, Plusle and Minun's bodies were suddenly surrounded by yellow electricity. Orange-yellow orbs with yellow sparks of electricity appeared in front of their ears they were released. One of the orbs destroyed the Icy Wind while the orb headed for Sneasel. Sneasel was ordered to dodge the orb, but it was too little too late. The attack left the Sharp Claw Pokémon in yellow electricity sparks floating around its body. Namaiki didn't know what move that was, but it wasn't Discharge. "Plusle, Minun, what was that move?"

"That was Electro Ball," Serena explained. "Namaiki, your Pokémon used Electro Ball."

"Electro Ball?" Namaiki never heard or seen an Electro Ball before. That was the first time Plusle and Minun ever used that move, so the duo was just as surprised as their trainer. The Cheering Pokémon exchanged glances at one another in awe, but it was not the time for celebration.

Heather couldn't handle Serena and Namaiki all by herself. "Bell, I need a hand over here," she screamed at her partner.

"Grrr. I'm a little busy at the moment." Bell commanded his Swellow to use Brave Bird again as Mightyena fired a Dark Pulse at the opposing Pokémon. His plan was to get Mudkip, Spinarak, and Yanmega all together for Swellow to deliver the final blow. Unfortunately for Bell, Anthony had a plan of his own.

"You really think this will work?" Cameron asked.

"Doesn't hurt if we try." Anthony was confident about his plan, so Cameron was going to trust the bug trainer for once. Meanwhile, their Pokémon were constantly dodging the Dark Pulse. Once his plan was approved by Cameron, Anthony ordered Yanmega and Spinarak to protect Mudkip.

They fell right into Bell's trap. "NOW, SWELLOW! BRAVE BIRD!" Swellow swooped down with its body covered in another blue aura and slammed at the trio will full force. There was no way the Pokémon could still be standing after that.

"Mudkip, Water Gun!"

"MUUDDKIIIPP!" Mightyena was suddenly blindsided by a Water Gun to the face.

"WHAT!"

"Yanmega, use Air Slash," Anthony commanded. Yanmega's wings glow white before flapping them forward, releasing light blue disc-like energy blades. Thanks to the Water Gun, Mightyena failed to dodge in time. The energy blades made a direct hit and Mightyena was thrown backward. Bell couldn't believe what he was witnessing. Not just Mightyena, but the fact that Spinarak was on top of Swellow. "Swellow, shake Spinarak off you. HURRY!"

Due to the effects of using Brave Bird, Swellow couldn't move too well right away. It was stunned with sparks running all over its body. "Nice job, Spinarak. Now use Pin Missile," Anthony ordered.

Spinarak separated its mandibles again and fired Swellow with white needles from behind. "LOOOOOWWW!"

Swellow landed face first onto the ground and was defeated instantly. Bell and Heather were getting more and more frustrated at the thought of being defeated. Returning his injured Swellow, Bell looked on his left to find Tenshi cheering for her friends, rooting for their victory. Mightyena was injured but found the momentum to stand up still. His signature devilish smile appeared again from under his nose. "Dark Pulse!"

Purple and black circles exited from Mightyena's mouth, but its assigned target was Tenshi. Mudkip ran in front of the stunned Tenshi, purposely taking the full hit instead of the little girl. However, Mudkip was knocked unconscious in exchange.

"TENSHI?! MUDKIP?!" More Dark Pulse attacks from both sides ambushed the group unexpectedly. Braixen, Pancham, Plusle, Minun, Spinarak, and Yanmega were all laying on the ground, badly wounded. A closer look revealed the latter was unable to battle. Serena, Namaiki, Cameron, and Anthony couldn't believe what they saw. Tenshi was crying her eyes out with the defeated Mudkip in her arms.

"Can't you see? It's futile to defeat us," Bell rang in their ears. "We have a job to do even if it means getting our hands dirty."

"This is your last chance. Give up or else." Heather's Sneasel responded to its evil trainer with its claws glowing white again as they grew a few inches.

"Serena, what about your Sylveon?" Namaiki suggested. "You haven't called that Pokémon out."

"Sylveon was defeated already. I'm afraid I have no other Pokémon to use."

Bell and Heather were the worst kinds of people. All of the Pokémon were greatly wounded. If they were attacked one last time, that would just make their suffering more severe. Cameron was a new trainer and Mudkip was his only Pokémon. Given the rage he felt about his sister being used for target practice, it wouldn't be wise for him to battle. Namaiki wasn't any help with battling themselves. Her Plusle and Minun seemed strong, but Namaiki wasn't an expert in battling either. Serena appeared to be the only person Anthony could rely on, but her Pokémon were just in bad shape.

Her Sylveon was already unable to battle. "You've got 30 seconds to surrender before we start blasting again," Heather warned. Anthony was desperate to protect his friends and the Pokémon. He felt something tugging the bottom of his pants leg. He looked down to see it was Spinarak.

"Spinarak? What is it?" The String Spit Pokémon's black eyes were narrowed and Anthony could see a level of determination in its pupils. Despite its body covered with injuries, Spinarak refused to give up.

"Spin Spin Spinarak."

"You mean…?"

Spinarak nodded its little head at its trainer. At the same time, Braixen and Pancham picked themselves up. With that being said, Anthony had a plan that just might work. There was one move that could help them and finally defeat Heather and Bell. However, he and Spinarak only had one shot. It was all or nothing. "Hey, Serena, I need your help," he announced.

"Do you have a plan?"

"Mhm. There's only one move Spinarak can use, but I can't do this alone. I know it's a long shot, but it might be the only way to get out of this mess."

"10 seconds," warned Heather.

Anthony could see Serena was unsure. It was understanding and that she didn't want to risk her Pokémon's health any further, but Braixen and Pancham seemed into it. To everyone's surprise, Plusle and Minun find the little bit of strength left to stand up themselves. "You two want to continue fighting?" Namaiki asked. "Look at you."

Plusle and Minun just shrugged her off and ran beside everyone. "We need to get Sneasel and Mightyena together in one spot. Think you guys can cover Spinarak?"

Serena and Namaiki nodded in agreement. Team Covetous already got the memo that they weren't giving up. "Time's up. Dark Pulse." Sneasel and Mightyena once again attacked the crew with another round of Dark Pulse.

With a little bit of strength, everybody dodged. "Pancham, Stone Edge."

"Plusle, Minun, Discharge."

Pancham slammed his fists on the ground, causing light blue pillars to surface. Plusle and Minun jumped on top of each pillar until they released multiple bolts of yellow electricity from their bodies at Mightyena and Sneasel. Although, both Pokémon dodged the bolts of electricity. The Pokémon retaliate with their Dark Pulse attacks again, which collided with the pillar at the end of the row. "Is that the best you guys can do?" Namaiki teased.

"We'll show you," Heather growled back. "Get 'em, Sneasel."

"You two, Mightyena."

Sneasel and Mightyena charged after the Pokémon. Sneasel's claws were glowing white. Mightyena was also ready to pounce with its white teething aura all ready for some serious biting. Serena and Namaiki's Pokémon stood in place as they were waiting for their next command. "Anthony, this will be the perfect time for that plan of yours," the latter proclaimed.

"Wait for it," Anthony explained while Spinarak was already in position. He wanted Mightyena and Sneasel a little bit closer. Once they got a little closer, he asked Serena to help Spinarak. So, she commanded Pancham to use Stone Edge again. A light blue pillar surfaced from underneath Spinarak's feet, lifting String Spit Pokémon off the ground. It also stopped Mightyena and Sneasel in their tracks. Several more pillars surfaced and surrounded the two trouble Pokémon into one circle. "Alright, Spinarak. Toxic Thread."

Spreading his red mandibles again, Spinarak fired a purple string. Before Team Covetous Pokémon knew it, purple tendrils of poison surrounded them and spun like an upside-down top. At that moment, Pancham's Stone Edges disappeared. "Umm…Anthony, care to explain?" Namaiki asked.

"That, my friends, is Spinarak's signature move called Toxic Thread," Anthony detailed.

"Toxic Thread? I never heard of it," Serena said.

"That's because Spinrak and its evolved form, Ariados, are the only Pokémon that could use the attack," he added. "And if one of them touches it, they'll get poisoned."

The gang saw Bell and Heather were flabbergasted. "This can't be happening," Heather responded.

It was time to finished the battle. "Braixen, Flamethrower. Pancham, Dark Pulse," Serena commanded.

"Plusle and Minun, Electro Ball," Namaiki commanded.

"Spinarak, Pin Missile."

While Braixen released her red-orange stream of fire, Pancham fired a series of black and purple circles at the trapped duo. Joining them were two orange-yellow orbs of electricity from Plusle and Minun and white pins from Spinarak. All the attacks collided with the Toxic Thread and left the area in a cloud of dust and smoke. Once the area cleared, Mightyena and Sneasel were revealed both poisoned and unable to continue battling. The only person in the gang who wasn't cheering was Cameron as he was comforting his sadden partner. "That was amazing," Tenshi cheered. "Don't you think, big brother?"

"Well…yeah, but Mudkip…"

"Don't worry, Cameron. Use this lost to grow strong the next time," Serena encouraging.

Cameron nodded in agreement. "You're right. We'll just get stronger. Right, Mudkip?"

"Mudkip!" The Mud Fish Pokémon agreed. Meanwhile, the troublemaking duo on the other side was flabbergasted at their defeat. "I can't believe this," Bell commented.

Heather didn't say anything, but she was awfully messed bothered. Lifting her head back up, she squeezed a Poke ball in her hand to the point she almost broke it. "I will not lose to some kids," she mumbled.

Before either did anything, the leaves of the trees around them started to blow along with Heather's long hair. The whirling sound in the distance that followed grew dangerous close to everybody. Everyone lifted their heads to find a dark grey helicopter hovering over the forest. Its large blades were turning the forest into a scene in the middle of a hurricane. Everything was blowing at rapid speed from the tree branches to the hairs on top of the humans' heads and the Pokémon's fur. "WHAT'S GOING ON?" Serena screamed over the roaring sounds of the blades.

Regardless to the twirling tail rotor, the gang noticed a gold logo mounted on the tail fin. "THAT LOGO! IT MATCHED THEIR PENDANTS!" Namaiki explained. The cabin door on the right-side slid open.

A female passenger slid open the cabin door and placed a leg on the landing skid while wearing the same wardrobe as Heather. "WE'VE BEEN WATCHING FROM THE SIDES. BELL, HEATHER, WE'VE GOT EVERYTHING WE NEED! IT'S TIME TO GO!"

"NO WAY! NOT UNTIL WE CRUSH THESE KIDS! Heather yelled back with her Poke ball still in hand.

Back at the helicopter, the female reached for something in her seat. "IT WILL HAVE TO BE AT ANOTHER TIME! THE BOSS HAS ANOTHER ASSIGNMENT FOR YOU TWO! WE'RE LEAVING NOW!" She dropped a round object that exploded the second it hit the ground. The area was surrounded by a thick layer of smoke. Unable to see anything, the trainers and their Pokémon started coughing. All they could do was hoping that their Pokémon wasn't stolen. After the smoke cleared, they find Team Covetous and their Pokémon nowhere to be found.

The helicopter was still flying over them, but with a ladder hanging from the left side. Bell was the first to enter the cockpit and Heather followed, but not before sending her 'farewells' to the group below her. "NEXT TIME WE FACE OFF, THE RESULTS WILL BE DIFFERENT FOR YOU RUNTS! JUST YOU WAIT!"

Heather slapped the door shut and the helicopter left that scene with blazing speed. Serena and her friends were all alone with their Pokémon. "That chick looks so wicked when she's mad," Cameron complimented.

Namaiki agreed. "No kidding."

* * *

_**Toxic Thread is a poison-type move that only Spinarak and Ariados can perform. It poisons the target and lowers their speed stat according to the Bulbapedia page. I had to research some pictures of the move from the games since it was never included in the anime. Now that Team Covetous has been defeated, the gang heads for Petalburg City. We have completed the first half to part one of "Performing in Hoenn." I'll get into details the next time because I just started the new semester.**_

_**Stay tuned.**_


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